Hi!
I think that you are getting some great suggestions. My suggestion is to ease your way into a change, not to go too drastic because it can seem shocking and will take awhile to get used to if you change is very different from where you are now. I have had my hair a lot of different colors with highlights, lowlights, all over color, etc. I go to a great hairstylist and I think it is important to go to someone that you trust and have faith in. Whatever color you decide, it will hopefully look very pretty. Why not browse through some hairstyle magazines and bring a few photos that peak your interest to your stylist? I highly suggest that you ease into a change, good luck with it. Also iVillage has a hairstyle bulletin board, I like it.
Take care.