Yeah, you should know that you have a nice bike there and you should continue to ride the heck out of it! As for the levers, as you've found, they may be more versatile moved up a bit so you can ride the hoods, but low enough that you can still give the levers enough pull to stop you if you're riding in the drops. Also, it looks like moving them up will give your rear brake housing a little more slack. As it stands, in the photo, the housing looks tight, which can cause poor braking, or unexpected braking if you rotate the steerer much. You should also look into getting some hoods for the brake levers; it'll make riding on the hoods more comfortable.

I've got those same barend shifters, and they're great. Stick with them, they're an upgrade in my book!