Much ado about my hair...

Anyone who knows me in real life will be shocked by (and might not recognize me in) the following photos... I got a haircut and I am wearing my hair down (two days in a row)!  For many years, I only let my sister cut my hair, but she lives in Oregon and that meant one haircut a year.  Years of country living, well water, highlights, and way too much time between cuts left my hair crazy, frizzy, damaged, and dry like straw.  That led to years of putting it in a bun and calling it a day!  For the past few years, I've actually had a few local (and expensive!) haircuts, and have tried a few products to see if I could break out of my rut... all to no avail.  And then I decided to give the local beauty school a chance (the Aveda Institute).  I am pretty sure I was my student's first floor cut!  She was nervous, timid, and had to ask her neighbor how to do the cut after she had started.  I figured it would end badly, but was resigned to simply pull it back into my standard ponytail or bun anyway.  And then she proceeded to give the the best (non-sister!) haircut I have ever had!  I even woke up the next day and didn't have to brush it and it looked perfect.  I did put it up at work for a few hours, and then took it back down as soon as I left.  Now that might not seem significant to you, but believe me when I tell you that it was a small miracle!  And after all of that, it still looked like this...

I don't know how long it will last or what will happen after I wash it with my own shampoo and our hard ass well water, but at least now I know what is possible.  I realize that this is a very small thing, but this hair-breakthrough makes me absolutely giddy!