A New Look

I don't want to interrupt the comments directed to my previous post (if you haven't read it yet, please do. I'm still welcoming comments), but I wanted to let you know about my new haircut. I have had the same style since a week or so after my wedding. I just always go back every 6-8 weeks and when she says, "What are we doing today?" I say, "Just a trim." I'd gotten to the point that I wanted something different, but I couldn't imagine what I wanted, and she refused to just put me in the chair and be creative, so I've stuck with the same thing for the last 5 1/2 years. I thought getting a new hairstylist would be a good chance for a change.

On Thursday I called a big salon in town and when the receptionist answered I said, "This may sound crazy, but I'm new in town, I don't have a stylist, and I need a new style. Is there someone there who is good enough to look at the shape of my face, decide what would look good, and just do it?" So she hooked me up with a girl who did an excellent job. I was THRILLED. I think I smiled all the way home. My comment to her before I got out of the chair was, "This look is too cool for me."

Then I encountered a problem: Last night I washed and dried it, and it did NOT look the same. I was so very disappointed. To be honest, I reverted back to my teenage years and had a meltdown. Gilbert made it downstairs just in time to witness it. I was so embarrassed at myself (I even made him promise not to tell anybody, and here I am telling it), but here's my defense: I tend to get my hopes up about things, and I don't do very well with disappointment. I was so excited about my hair and then it looked as though my too-cool hair was lost. Then, my sweet husband came to the rescue. He went to Wal-Mart and bought me a flat-iron. When I washed again today, I used the flat-iron and was able to mostly reconstruct the look I had left the salon with. I really like it. I think I lost some of the "cool" in the transition, but I salvaged most of the overall look. (By the way, last night made me realize that Gilbert needs to have a daughter one day. He handled the whole situation so well!)

So now that I've built it up, I'll reveal the look.
Here's a before: (it's more than a year old, but again, my style hasn't changed)


And the after:

Can you tell a difference?