This morning was much like any other Saturday--the first few hours were spent with Alexis gleefully watching Playhouse Disney. It was more than a little jarring to flip the channel and find that five Pittsburgh police officers had been shot in the line of duty. As Mr. Husband and I sat with heavy hearts watching the events unfold, Alexis was oblivious to the severity of the situation. When the news that three of the officers had died came over the airwaves, Alexis was singing Happy Birthday to one of her dolls.

Sometimes being a parent means living in two very different universes at one time. It's . . . uncomfortable.

As more details came to surface and the story of the shooter began to become a little clearer (and more disturbing), Mr. Husband and I decided it was time to go. Anywhere. We had to go find some of the beautiful in our city, so that we could forget a little of the ugly that started our day.

We wound up at the Zoo, which is certainly not my first thought when it comes to defining "beautiful" in Pittsburgh, but the Martian named Alexis really wanted to go there.

So, a few photos of Beautiful, as our hearts go out to those involved in today's tragedy.