A little heads up: this day turned out to be extra special, so be sure to read the entire post!
Where We Went
Martha’s Vineyard. We had an early wake-up, well, early for me, at 6:00 am, so we could leave at 7:30 am to head to Woods Hole. I dozed for a bit while Josh was driving to the ferry terminal. We were scheduled to take the 9:30 am ferry, so we got there a bit early just in case there was traffic or a backup at the terminal. This was my first time on a ferry! I was a bit nervous but not as nervous as when I have to fly.
We were taking Josh’s car to MV, so we parked it in the bottom of the ferry and then headed up to the snack bar and seating area. The ferry is a very good place for people watching. We spent most of the trip eavesdropping on some high school students who looked like they were on a field trip to MV. Our arrival was around 10:15 am in Oak Bluffs.
Downtown Oak Bluffs. We walked around their little downtown area with shops and a few restaurants, and Josh popped into a little cafe to get a coffee. Our next stop was Soft as a Grape, a souvenir shop—we each got a t-shirt since they were two for $40. The girl behind the counter asked where we were from and what we were doing for the day (it’s important to remember her for later…)
We walked over to what’s called the “gingerbread houses,” which are part of the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association. Many of the houses were built in the 1860s and are available for rentals during the summer.
Island Alpaca. I was really looking forward to going to Island Alpaca because you can pay $8 and go pet alpacas. The males were in one pen, and the females and babies were in another. There are two llamas in the pen with the females and babies because llamas are natural protectors and there has been an increase in coyotes on MV.
While we were with the female alpacas, one of the workers came out and talked with the group of us that were there about the alpacas and their personalities; if I remember correctly, six of them were pregnant and one was due soon. She also got the hose out to spray them with water, and all of them got really excited.
On the way out, we stopped in the gift shop, and I got a tiny alpaca figure made of alpaca fur. His name is Edgar—you’ll see why below.
Edgartown. Our first stop was the Edgartown lighthouse, but, unfortunately, as we walked closer, we saw it was covered and under construction/repairs. We still walked out onto the beach since it was scenic, and I found a few shells in the sand.
THEN, on our way walking back on the sand, Josh was behind me on the path and took a water bottle out of his backpack. I was annoyed that he didn’t ask me if I wanted the other water bottle (since it had gotten a bit warmer out), and then I turned around, and he was on one knee asking me to marry him.
I remember saying, “Are you serious?” because part of me thought he was joking, but then I saw the ring box. Of course, I said yes.
WE’RE ENGAGED!!!!*
We were taking a few selfies as a woman was walking up on the beach, and she offered to take pictures for us and got excited when we said we had just gotten engaged. Technically, she was the first person we told (haha). So thank you, random nice lady!!! We appreciate you.
On the way back to the car, Josh told me how he kept everything a secret and had told his parents and my parents what he had planned. We immediately FaceTimed my parents to tell them and then called his parents.
*I’ll have some more thoughts on this in my final post of this series!
We went to Edgartown Books, and I got Jill Biden’s new book, View From The East Wing; then we walked around the downtown area and also got ice cream. I don’t remember the name of the place, but we walked by one, and I said, “We need celebratory ice cream!”
We also stopped at the Jaws bridge on the way back to Oak Bluffs. I’ve yet to see the movie but will have to this summer.
Oak Bluffs (again). Before we went to dinner, we went back to the souvenir shop because Josh wanted to get a sweatshirt, and I got a sweatshirt too and an MV shark magnet for my dad. The same girl was there from the morning, and when we got to talking, she said she was working until 10:00 pm and had been there all day but didn’t mind because she gets to talk to people. Since I felt like we were already best friends, I told her we got engaged in Edgartown and she was so excited, and I really hope we made her day.
Vineyard Haven. We sat down by the beach for a bit before driving to Vineyard Haven, where we walked around their downtown area but all of the stores were closed. Our ferry for the night was the 8:30 pm trip, so we headed over a bit early to get checked in. I was amazed they fit an entire tractor-trailer in the bottom where the cars are parked. No high school trip was on the ferry on the way back, and we didn’t get back to the Airbnb until after 10:00 pm and went straight to bed.
What We Ate + Drank
Breakfast: Made at the Airbnb. Since we were leaving so early, we made eggs, toast, and yogurt with fruit for breakfast. We also split a chocolate chip muffin on the ferry at 9:30 am.
Lunch: Highlands General. I got a chicken salad sandwich, and Josh got a crispy fish sandwich. It was another cute breakfast and lunch place.
Dinner: Offshore Ale. We wanted to go to Bad Martha’s for dinner but they’re closed on Tuesdays (which I didn’t know until I was looking at our plans the weekend before we left) so we went back to Oak Bluffs and went to Offshore Ale. I got a flight and steak quesadillas, Josh got a beer and fish and chips.
Strikeouts + Sprinkles 