Gainesville -- Fuller Family

On Dec. 28, Michael, Paul and I packed up the car and made the 5-hour, all-too familiar, if not recently traveled, drive to Gainesville.  We stopped in Tallahassee to visit with our friends Paul and Anna, and to meet their adorable son, James.  They had a nice lunch prepared for us, which was delicious, but the best part was just getting to talk and catch up!  I wish we could do that more often!  It was really a great break for Paul, too.  He had fun chasing the cat around the backyard and slept the rest of the way to Gainesville.

After settling into our hotel, we drove to my dad's house and met his soon-to-be wife, Malena, and her sons Andres and Daniel, and Andres' girlfriend Maggie.  Jess also showed up a little later!  Paul was very shy at first, not saying anything and staying with mama, but eventually he opened up and spent the rest of the weekend non-stop playing with everyone!

Saturday morning, we woke up, and since we were staying right off campus, we decided to go on a little walk around Lake Alice.  While we were students at UF, we took a lot of walks near the lake, spotting and identifying the birds and trying to spot gators and turtles.  It was fun to revisit the area with Paul in tow.

Paul loves trying to high-five the trees, even if they are way to high to reach!

Go Gators!

Now on to the good stuff!  Saturday morning, my dad and Malena got married in an intimate ceremony at their condo.  It was beautiful and I was glad we were there to be a part of it.  Afterward there was lots of dancing, eating and talking!  It was wonderful.

Paul and Maggie dancing.  Once he warmed up to her, he loved Maggie!

We really have no idea how to dance.  :)

See?!

Puzzle with my sibs!

Jeremy, Jess, Daniel, Andres, myself, Michael and Paul having a blast with this puzzle.

Paul had so much fun playing in the backyard!  Everyone took turns with him.  Here he is with Uncle J looking at a huge banana spider.

Jeremy and Paul, who can't take his eyes off that spider!

Paul and Andres chillin' on the patio.

This was the first time we were all in the same place at once!  It was awesome!  I can't wait for our next get together.

Not only did we have a wonderful time getting to know Andres, Daniel, Maggie and Malena, as well as spending time with Dad, Jess and Jeremy, but we also felt like we were on vacation because Paul was constantly being entertained by someone else.  It was so fun to see him so happy!  He of course has fun with his Pensacola family, but I think he enjoyed being the center of attention.

Maggie and Daniel were helping Paul go up and down with the luggage handle.

Dad with all his kids!

I remember the hands thing being a thing, but I have no idea what it was about...

Paul and Pop-Pop!

It was really hard to leave Gainesville Sunday afternoon.  It was also a pretty neat way to spend the end of 2012, considering the year began with my dad and I getting in touch. 

Picking up pizza and rolls from Leo's on our way out made the trip back to Pensacola much more enjoyable.  Paul was so worn out I think he slept most of the way.

Leo's is hands-down the best pizza I've ever had (in the US, at least!).  And the rolls are amazing!  It's not a trip to Gainesville without a stop there.  I could really go for a slice right now...