A Surprise Weekend in Martha's Vineyard

How does one celebrate a sister's 30th birthday AND recent engagement?!??  By surprising her with a girls' weekend on Martha's Vineyard, of course.  I couldn't post about this upcoming surprise for obvious reasons... but let me say, it has been on the forefront of my brain for the past 4 months. Thanks to Mom, the scheming paid off and the weekend was a  major success.

(Fyi... technically this is Sean's "side" of the family, but "technicalities" and "in-laws" don't really exist in the McConnell clan.)

Here's how the surprise went down:

Unbeknownst to Lindsay, mom had been in contact with her work for months and had already gotten Lindsay off work for the two days surrounding the weekend. So two weeks ago, on Lindsay's actual birthday, she was surprised to get tickets in the mail to Boston, stating that work was taken care of and that she would be spending a fun mother-daughter weekend together on the weekend of the 14th.  (Fyi: most of Sean's family, including Mom, live near Boston.)  Lindsay was very excited to get free tickets to visit her mom and on Friday morning she got on a flight to New England.

Meanwhile, Maddie and I secretly flew into Boston Thursday night and stayed with Mom.

 Then we woke up Friday morning at 6 am and drove to the ferry near Martha's Vineyard with Aunt Sue:

While we were headed to the ferry, Mom picked Lindsay up from the airport and instead of driving back to her house, she drove to the ferry.  (Fyi: Lindsay had always loved the Vineyard but had only been able to spend a few hours there.)  Lindsay was super excited to see the car unexpectedly turning towards Martha's Vineyard, and at 2:30, they hopped on the ferry to go stay "a surprise mother-daughter's night on the Vineyard." (Or so, Lindsay thought.)

Meanwhile, Aunt Sue, Maddie, and I checked us all into our rooms, and looked for the perfect location to surprise Lindsay. We discovered a tiny restaurant within walking distance of the ferry and we texted Mom and told her to meet us there when they got off of the ferry.

At 3:00, Maddie, Aunt Sue, and I left our Bed and Breakfast and went to the secret location. We got our party hats and glasses together, sat in a booth by the window and watched Mom and Lindsay's ferry dock.

We watch Mom and Lindsay get off the ferry.  (Keep in mind, Lindsay thinks that I'm in Nashville, Maddie's in Denver, and Aunt Sue's in Connecticut.)  At this point, having received our text about the secret meeting place, Mom suggests to Lindsay that they stop for an appetizer before dinner and casually points in the direction of the restaurant.

Mom and Lindsay start walking towards the tavern, but unaware that we were waiting in a booth by the window, Mom lets Lindsay stop to take pictures of the scenery.

This is the picture they took:

We see this happening and immediately hide under the table.

Maddie and I discuss the crazy amount of adrenaline running through our bodies and how if they didn't stop taking pictures and show up soon we were going to throw up, pee our pants, pass out, or all of the above.  There's only so much adrenaline a girl can take!

Eventually, they walk in and the waitress begins to seat Mom and Lindsay right next to our booth, when Lindsay spots this by the window:

We slowly lower our menus and BAM, "SURPRISE!!!!!"  Not only are you in Martha's Vineyard with Mom, but you're here with your sisters and aunt too!  Take that!

It was the best reaction possible.

  

Lindsay was completely stunned and after a lot of happy tears we squealed over her beautiful ring, discussed how incredibly sneaky we are, and crazy laughed about how we had 2 nights on the island together!  Lindsay kept saying, "We're all on the Vineyard!!!!"

Needless to say, it was an incredible weekend and I swear my lungs are still sore from laughing so hard.

I just got back home at 12 last night, and I already miss it. Martha's Vineyard was absolutely stunning, the weather was perfect, and of course, the company was pretty awesome too ;) I will post many more photos in the coming days...

By the time we left on Sunday, we had driven the entire island, visited 4 light houses, accidentally been in the procession of a public wedding (our apologies to the groom), and enjoyed a few walks on the beach. It was an incredible trip.  A memory that I will always hold very dear.

Not only did we get a weekend on Martha's Vineyard (a place I had always wanted to go) but we got a jam packed Sunday and Monday morning back on the mainland, complete with another gathering of Lindsay's friends and family,  visits with all the grandparents, and a ton of DUNKIN DONUTS ICED COFFEE.  Oh DD's... you have my heart.

Monday morning we sadly packed for the airport, had one last meal together in the terminal, and then parted ways for separate gates. It was a sad but beautiful moment.  It's rare that we get to see each other, and even more rare to all be together at the same time.  It was so, very, very special and I can't wait to show you all the photos...

Hope you had a great weekend!!

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Happy Birthday, Lindsay!

We love you!!

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mae mae