I Need Help

I have this problem.

The thing is, I don't know what to do about my hair.

You see, when I was young(er), my mom always kept my hair REALLY long.  Like, all the way down to my buppy, kind of long.

{That's what we call our behind in our house.  Because two little girls happen to think the word "butt" is hilarious and if we let them say it, they say it ALL THE TIME.  So we call it a buppy which is much less interesting.  Anyhoo...}

Then once, when I was in about 4th grade, she let me get it cut short and put in a curly perm.

BIG MISTAKE! 

I was a chubby kid, (being kind when I say chubby), with a round face.

Now just imagine that with short, curly, black hair and you can see why we went back to keeping it long.  (Oh how I wish I had a picture to show you...maybe I'll have to dig one up...)

After high school, though, I decided to cut it again.  Not quite as drastic, but just longer than my shoulders.

And after that, the crazy cycle started.

I would cut it, and then decide to go longer again.  Why?

Because I LIKE my hair long, but it takes much longer to do.  And I don't always have much longer.

So what happens?

I end up throwing it up in a knot or pony tail pretty much every day.

It's fine at first, but then I just start to feel like I have no style, and then I want to chop it off again.

Finally, last year, I went shorter than I ever had, (not including the clown look in the 4th grade), and even had highlights.

Here is what it looked like:

Now it is much longer again.  Not quite middle of my back, but getting there.

Plus, the highlights are gone and the black is back.

Here it is Now:

just so you can see the length...

And of course, I am thinking of chopping it off again.

Soooo, I need opinions.

What should I do?

Keep it long and black?

Long and put in some highlights?  (at least my pony tail would have some definition????)

Chop it off and keep it black?

Chop it off and go back to highlights?

Do something completely different?

I NEED HELP! 

Please oh please oh please give me your opinions. 

{But be kind whatever you do.  I don't want this to end in a depression that would lead me to have a Briteny Spears kind of meltdown and shave it all off.}