New Year, New Me

I'm one of those girls that wants to look cute but never wants to put any effort into it. Especially regarding my hair. I'm definitely not opposed to trendy cuts and stylish colors. But I'm way too lazy to fix it every day, and definitely too cheap to make it a financial priority when there are so many other things I'd rather spend my money on. Thanks to this stubborn frugality, my parents gifted me a hair appointment for Christmas.

Gosh, an all expenses paid trip to the hair salon? What's a girl to do?? Brad was rooting for me to go dark and short again like I had this past May, but to add a "bit of deep auburn hints" this time. Erin suggested that I go back to the blonde I was when I was still a young bride. Hmm... It was a tough decision to make with all of these endless possibilities out there for me. I'm truly not that attached to my hair, and could literally do anything, especially if someone else is paying! In the end, my husband's opinion won out, since I care a little more if he thinks I look good than I do Erin... (Sorry, Erin.) So, I was boldly going to transform my long blondish-brown tresses into a trendy style of brownish-red short hair.

Because of my haphazard hair regimen, I didn't have a regular "hair lady" here in Nashville, but Bonnie highly recommended that I go to the new place in Nolensville called A Salon 2 Dye 4 (haha, get it?). I was able to get an appointment right away and blindly walked into the chic salon for a whole new 'do. I thumbed through a few of the magazines and selected some examples of shapes and colors that I enjoyed. I described to Jane (my official new "hair lady") what I was hoping to achieve, and she was a bit surprised by my aspirations since it was so drastically different from my current look. But, I explained to her that this has kind of become my routine. I chop my hair short, and then don't go back to the salon for another 8-10 months. It's not that I want my hair to be long, it's just that I forget to do anything about it for a long time, all the while it's growing back out. I originally got the "wife chop" way back in 2005, and have been continuing the cycle ever since.

With my full assurance, she was anxious to get the transformation going. We looked at a few hair color samples and decided on a mixture - 3 parts dark hazelnut brown, and 1 part cinnamon auburn. We agreed that this combo would accomplish our desired goal. When we discussed the hair style, I told her I wanted to look cute with ultra low maintenance, because I wasn't going to lie to her or myself and pretend like I'd spend a long time on my hair each morning as I'm getting ready for the day. We agreed to stay away from the bob (she says it's overdone and going out of style) and go for something that could easily dry flat / under or be flipped out for the days I am willing to actually turn on my curling iron or hair straightener. This is what we came up with:

So what do ya think? It's a little more red than either of us intended, but I'm pretty sure I like it. She told me to shampoo a couple of times, feel my friends out, and see how my husband likes it, and if I want her to darken it up, she'll be glad to do it at no charge anytime. Thanks Jane, my awesome new hair lady! But anyway, I think it'll stay. Brad super loves it, and tells me more and more each time he sees me. People don't really recognize me unless I'm with Brad or at my usual desk at work, but that's kind of fun. This 'do will do for a while. Who knows? It may last for the next 8 months... We'll see if I remember to maintain it.