This One Little Thing

Today's post is being brought to you by the number 114.

Remember in 7th grade when everyone was experimenting with hair dye, they were all, "I'm gonna go red!" and then the next day they'd come in a nice shade of orange?  I do.  I was never allowed to dye my hair, nor did I want to, so that rule sorta worked out for all parties involved, but I did feel left out.  I wanted to be a part of the "red dye didn't really work out, but it'll look good in a day or two (sob!)" club, I wanted to sun-in my hair like crazy; I wanted to have a head of hair that people noticed and that they liked.  In fact, I had none of these.

I was a blonde curly-headed mess.  I didn't understand how to take care of curly hair and I didn't really want to either, because I wanted straight hair.  I wanted stick straight hair, with hot curling iron curled-to-the-max bangs.  I wanted to have the hair of the girl who sat in front of me in 7th grade biology, who would come in with her tiny Bath and Bodyworks brush and lotion and comb her hair and bangs and dab on a little juniper berry and she was done.  I, on the other hand, would take a shower the night before, comb my hair and then go to sleep, waking up to a knot-ball mess.  And yes, I know what you're thinking, there were scissors involved some mornings...

Well, one of my 30 before 30's was to get a new do'.  Mission accomplished in January.  However, shortly after I got my look, people started asking me what I was going to do next and I was sort of curious too.  All of a sudden, I went from the girl who'd never dyed her hair until she was 29 to the girl who wanted to change it up again.  I think it's like the feeling that some people get after they get their first tattoo, they can't stop and count down the days until their next one.  I. can't. stop.  That 7th grader is finally getting to have her chance to dye all the hair she wants and it's pretty glorious.

This weekend when I went back to the salon, I decided that I was really going to change it up.  In like the biggest of big ways.  I wanted to go dark... and I wanted bangs.  Not side swept or can be tucked behind an ear if they get in the way, I wanted blunt bangs.  The hairdresser cautioned me that he didn't think I should do it.  He said that it's a really drastic change and that I should go for an interim bang style.  I declined his offer and told him to chop it off, blunt bangs or bust!

So he did it.  In theory, I wished that when he turned the chair around, I instantly fell in love- which is exactly what happened when I got my hair dyed for the first time, I loved it.  But this time, not so much.  It's an acquired taste I guess, because today I like it a little better.  I think it has to do with the fact that I styled it and it's not so helmet head looking, but I gotta admit, I'm probably not keeping it.

Reactions have been mixed and poor Arden was petrified.  He literally went mute for a few hours and I saw him tense up as I approached, his little hands clutched to his chest; he literally wanted nothing to do with this strange new mom.  I think that was the hardest reaction and I realized that I can't be this drastic ever again- or at least until the kids are older.

Because I didn't ask the hairdresser what color he was using- I have a history of doing impulsive things without using the questioning approach common sense, like the time I bought a car without taking it for a test drive, I don't know what color my hair is, so I googled Clariol hair color and determined that the color looks most like #114- Natural Light Ash.  Not sure that I like this color either.  It's nice and all, but somethings missing and I'm not sure if I want to go lighter or darker.

Overall, it's been a weird 48 hours.  I sometimes love it, sometimes not.  I sometimes think I will keep the bangs for more than a hot second, but then I start thinking about it and I think, probably not.  At any rate, Easter proved to be a good time to be able to take nice pictures so take a look at the new look.  It's a little crazy, but so am I.

He loves me again!

p.s. I don't know where to fit this in up above, but I think the reason that I go back and forth is because I really like pictures 1, 2 and 4, but in picture 3, it reminds me of baby doll hair/70's mom hair.  I'm just still so undecided.

Update- my cousin pointed out that the 3 pictures I like are the ones where my hair appears to be darker... So, I'm thinking I might go darker, but that could change 20 minutes from now, because that's just how undecided I am.