[LJSDesigns]

Apparently I am pretty weird.

My DIL was talking about what kind of newborn photos to get when the baby comes, family or prop, and I said get both. She said it's too expensive for both, but as I told her, the way I see it, newborn photos happen once, so get it all.

I told her back when my son was a baby and we took them to JC Penney and Sears for photos, I would take different outfits, and some props, and change him and have them take as many photos as I wanted. When I made the appointment, I always told them what I planned and paid a little extra, but I got what I wanted.

Her reply was who does that? It's kind of weird that you took outfit changes for studio photos. To which my son replied that is nothing. Ask her about the hamster and guinea pig.

Of course a hamster and guinea pig have nothing to do with newborn photos, but are apparently more proof that I am weird.

When my mom's hamster got sick, I took it to the vet. When I made the appointment with the vet, even though they were a small animal vet, who advertised they took hamsters, they asked me if I was sure I wanted to pay for an $75 office visit for a hamster. I told them I was sure and took in Cole.

The vet came back with the awful news that Cole had cancer and there was no treatment. My mom was crushed because he was a great little companion for her. Anyway, they told me they would bring him out and I could take him home and "put him down."

What? There was no way I was taking that little guy home and doing that, so I asked if they could euthanize him instead. Again, they were like, that is expensive for something you could do yourself. But to me, it wasn't more expensive to have him humanly put to sleep than to come home and kill our pet. So I paid $150 to put down a hamster. And I don't regret it one bit.

Again, my DIL said that was crazy. She would have just hit it with a hammer or something. I felt kinda sick hearing that. To me killing something like that is what's crazy. And cruel. And sick.

Then she asked if I had put down a guinea pig too. I said no. And my son, who was laughing, told me to tell her about that. So I did.

My son got a guinea pig for Christmas from my mom. I didn't know a thing about guinea pigs, so I did some research. During the research I found out that they are pack animals and need a companion. So I packed up my son and the guinea pig and off to Pet Smart we went.

When we got there, I told the store clerk that I needed a guinea pig for my guinea pig. At first he thought I was returning it for a different one, but I explained it needed a friend. He said, "well, just go pick out one." To which I explained that since I would not be living with the guinea pig, I had brought ours with me so she could pick out her friend. He, too, thought I was crazy.

Still, he got all the females out and put them into a open pen in the shop. When we put Cocoa in with them, she went right to one and cuddled up with her. They they started chattering away. That was the one we got.

Cocoa and Chanel lived happily together for almost ten years and then passed away within a week of each other. And yes, I took them to the vet more than once.

Again, I was told I was nuts and the kids laughed at me even more.

When I was coming home, it bothered me that my kids think I am crazy for these thing, when they just made sense to me. Is that what crazy is, thinking something that everyone else thinks is weird, just makes sense?

That's when I hit on weird and decided that was better than crazy, and further decided I was okay with being a little weird. Frankly, I am okay with me, but I also know that I am an emotional thinker, not a logical one, which was pointed out to me in college by my Logics professor. I did not do well in that class.

Anyway, this has been on my mind all day, so I thought I would share to get it out there and find out if I really am that weird.

Would any of you have euthanized a hamster or let a guinea pig choose it's companion or taken different outfits to a "Sears" photo shoot? There are other examples, I am sure, but those are the ones my son seems to remember best. LOL

So please go ahead and share some of the unique, off the beaten path, things you have done that make your family laugh at you. I promise, I will not make fun of you or use the word crazy.