Hair Help?

I'm not sure if this is really the right place to be asking about this, or if I am even the appropriate age to be posting here, but at this point, I'm kinda desperate for help. My hair grows extremely thick and sometimes unruly, refusing to be tamed and not wanting to cooperate with anything I'd like to do with it. I've never really had money to have it professionally styled, nor have I known anyone who was any good with hair to ask about this type of thing. I generally go for the longer styles, since I enjoy longer hair, and I look even worse than I normally do with short hair. (Trust me on that one; I'm not much to look at in the first place, but short hair kinda ruins the whole thing.)

So, I'm really needing some advice as to what to do with it. I want to retain some of the length, but I really don't know what I'm aiming for or what I should do.

Here are a few pictures:


http://i945.photobucket.com/albums/a...d/100_0025.jpg

http://i945.photobucket.com/albums/a...d/100_0029.jpg

Can anyone help? I have somewhat of an idea of what I ultimately want, probably something like this or this, but I've no idea how to get my hair to either.

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