Blonder Ambition

I had light blond highlights in my hair for about four years. I loved the look, but decided to grow it out about a year and a half ago, figuring that it'd be nice to have a change of pace.

By the way, I've had practically the same haircut since I was a young kid -- side part, worn curly. Over the years it's gained and lost layers, highlights, and side-bangs, but for all intents and purposes it's always been pretty similar!

So...I have an appointment to get my hair cut and highlighted this Friday and as usual, I'm not exactly sure what to do. How much shorter and how much lighter to make it.

My hair is currently a bit above my shoulders in the front and an inch or two below my shoulders in the back:


This is how it looked the last time I got a haircut, in Dec. 2008 (the bottom still has old highlights):

My highlighted hair about two to three years ago:


And my hair when I dyed it brown in summer 2007 (semi-permanent, made my hair too dry):

I need a style that is relatively low-maintenance, since I only get my hair cut twice a year and don't want it to look super weird when the highlights start to grow out. Suggestions?