“We are taking it slow.” That was the mantra I had back in the fall when I started dating Lance Fullin.

“Nicole, it’s Grandmother,” her voice says into my ear. “I have tacos, both hard and soft. Let me know what you want, all right? Bye, now.”

The annual Best of the Vineyard winners were announced Thursday night during a packed event at the Loft in Oak Bluffs. More than 5,500 votes were cast in this year’s contest.

The rock and the general — those are the words I use to describe my paternal grandparents. Herbert and Claire Mercier, married for 63 years, created a life on Cooke street in Edgartown.