May highlights, part 1 {zoo, Pittsburgh Marathon 5K, Habemus Papam!, and orchestra and art show}

true to form, May was packed full to the brim with activities, end-of-school events, and the quotidian rambunctiousness of a family of six!

1) zoo trip. we kicked off the month with a visit to the zoo -- we typically don't go often enough to merit a membership but the weather was perfect! Elizabeth and Victoria are at prime zoo-going age where they are so excited to see the animals, and I daresay the older girls had a good time too. 

Cece brought her camera to document the wildlife

photo op on the termite hill

the elephant almost looks like a poster, but that is the real bull elephant striding towards the glass!

one of the highlights of this trip was watching the gorilla family interact. the baby was crawling all over the mother, who was just trying to take a nap, and then eventually some of the adolescents started playing chase. we watched their antics for a good thirty minutes!

baby watching a baby

we all cracked up when he crouched down to lick some water out of the puddle!

face to face with Cece. 

the glare on the glass meant that we couldn't see anything inside this enclosure until we got right up close and then, bam! monkey!

Cece spent some of her allowance money on this veterinary set with an animal carrier, penguin, and lots of plastic tools inside

Cece was pretending to be the zookeeper... looks like she's got an animal on the loose

Greta captured this amazing shot of the sea turtle

we watched these anteaters "play" for about thirty seconds before it became clear it was a very specific type of play and we moved on!

pretending to be poisoned by the frog

3 going on 13

2) Pittsburgh Marathon 5K. marathon weekend is always the first weekend in May, and while I highly doubt I will ever participate in the full marathon, I do have plans to eventually train for the half marathon (although it's a notoriously hilly course!). right now, the 5K is the perfect distance. even so, I had missed out on several training runs. as the day approached I considered not even going; the weather was supposed to be cold and rainy, and I knew I'd probably be walking a fair amount. but that morning I decided I'd just go ahead and go. I'd already paid for it and I told myself if it was absolutely miserable weather I could just leave early! 

as it happened, the weather was perfect, the crowds were so supportive, and I loved the new course running right past the Benedum theater where I have season tickets to the national Broadway touring productions that come to town. 

had to stop outside the Benedum!

finish line feels

I finished in 40 minutes and 45 seconds, averaging a 13:07 minute/mile (that includes some intentional stops for photos, and some much-needed walking breaks). even though it was my slowest 5K race to date, it was absolutely wonderful to be outdoors running in this city I love. as a bonus, they had free chocolate milk at the finish line!

crazy to think about the very first time I walked across these bridges at 18 years old! I've loved this city ever since.

and the very next day, I was driving down those same streets to attend the last Broadway show of the season: Come from Away. this is based on the true story of the town of Gander, Newfoundland, whose citizens opened up their homes and pooled their resources to host more than six thousand stranded plane passengers when the US airspace was closed after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. the music is moving, the cast is dynamic (many actors portray multiple different people), and I wasn't the only one in the audience laughing hysterically and then crying with grief over lives lost, appreciation for the heartfelt generosity of the Canadians, and a realization of how much our world has changed in the past two dozen years.

annnnnnd they announced the 2025/2026 Broadway touring season. I cannot wait!

3) Habemus Papam! Pope Francis passed away on April 21, 2025, on Easter Monday. there was much speculation as the Conclave convened to elect the next pope. two and a half weeks later, on May 8, white smoke wafted up from the Sistine Chapel chimney! since it was a Thursday, I was home with the younger kids. Greta was at school, and Cece was actually home sick with me watching TV. my manager, who is a devout Catholic, texted me to let me know about the white smoke and I immediately turned the TV to the news channel so we could watch in real time. I don't think anyone was expecting an American pope to be elected and I immediately texted Nick to find out if he had any insider information on him. God bless Pope Leo XIV!

his face and bearing is so gentle but strong -- I think he is exactly what the church needs right now!
  

4) orchestra and art show. that very evening was the school orchestra concert and art show! the orchestra performs one concert in the spring and it's always fun to see how much the children have progressed throughout the year! this is only the second year for the full orchestra and so while all the students were seated together throughout the performance, the director had a piece for just the beginners to play, then the intermediate orchestra played an arrangement of Vivaldi's Spring, and then there was the traditional grand finale with all the musicians: the Can Can (that is, if two years in a row makes something a tradition). I had a prime seat to see Greta, much to her chagrin. 

warming up before the concert

Cece (who was still sick) and Victoria stayed home with Nick, but Ellie wanted to come see her beloved "Gaga" perform

afterwards we were able to see the art the upper school students have created throughout the year. some of the art was set up in the Latin classroom, where we saw evidence that the upper school Latin teacher (one of our Oratorian priests!) had very wisely been using the Conclave and Pope Leo's election as a teachable moment! 

one of Greta's pastel landscapes