30 Before 30: #13 Give serious thought to dying my hair red

Like most girls, I have a love/hate relationship with my hair. Two of my sisters have the most amazing corkscrew curls and the third one has a silky curtain of hair thicker than a horse's mane. Me? I got stuck somewhere in between with wavy hair that is neither deliciously curly nor luxuriously straight.

In short, my hair takes a lot of work. Once I find a style that works for me, it takes a lot for me to be willing to change it. I alternate between to styles: long layers and a cute short bob. Boring? Sure. But it works for me.

I may not be wild about my waves, but one thing I've always loved is the color. Healthy and dark and dimensional. Which is why I've never messed with what the good Lord gave me. I'd love to be one of those girls who can change from blonde to chestnut to auburn without batting an eyelash. (see: Rachel McAdams), but I'm way too lazy cheap skittish for that. I have, however, always wondered how I'd look as a redhead. If I ever worked up the courage to do it, red would be the way I'd go. So for my 30x30 List, I decided to give it some serious consideration. If not now, when? (And don't say when I go gray - we're trying to downplay turning 30, remember?)

After a month of experimenting with a new layered haircut, embracing my inner curly girl, and finally taking the plunge into blunt bangs, I figured I was on a roll. Might as well give it a (temporary) go. So while I was home for a week in early December, my sister Amy dyed my hair a nice deep auburn.

I hate both of these pictures of me but they are pretty much the only ones I took the entire month of December. The pictures really don't do the color justice. I loved it. All of my female friends noticed it immediately. Nate didn't notice for four days. So I guess it wasn't shockingly dramatic, but it definitely gave me a good taste of what it might be like to take the plunge for real. For now, I think I'll stick with what my mama gave me (cheap and lazy, I tell you) but when those gray hairs start calling, it's good to know I've got some options.