On a whim, Amelia and Jack Parker of Des Moines, Iowa packed their family of six into a U-Haul to trade their six bedroom, three bathroom home for a 527 square-foot A-frame beach house in Miami, Florida.
“My kids are a little nervous about where they will all sleep, but I’m just not concerned anymore. I mean, I’m at the beach! There are no concerns at the beach!” Amelia gushed as she settled into a chaise lounge chair and slowly sipped a mimosa.
When asked what prompted her to trade the burbs for the beach and abandon her cushy job at a tech startup, Amelia chuckled and answered, “The pillow made me do it!
“During one of my guilty pleasure trips to Hobby Lobby, I came across this seafoam green pillow decorated with the phrase, ‘Life is better at the beach!’ And I thought to myself: Amelia, life IS better at the beach. It’s time to live, laugh, love — to shoot for the moon. What better place to do that than the beach?”
“At first I thought Amelia was a little crazy, but when it comes right down to it, a little sand between your toes always takes away your woes,” Jack exclaimed as he nailed up a new sign on the family’s bright yellow front door. The sign read, “Happy clams welcome! Crabby pants not allowed!”
The family has chosen to decorate their new home with coastal wood signs adorned with beach-themed sayings that seem to have become life mottos for Jack and Amelia. The couple’s wardrobe is also evidence they are embracing beach life.
“Oh, I almost forgot: See my new Crocs?” shouted Jack enthusiastically, pointing at his feet.
“We got matching patriotic Crocs for the entire family. They really are the best beach shoe, you know. We gotta look the part if we’re gonna’ play the part.”
Meanwhile, the Parkers’ four children — Josie, 15; Jon, 12; Joel, 7; and Jane, 3 — don’t seem convinced that beach living is what’s best for their family.
“Really, Mom? A mimosa at 9 a.m.? Real responsible of you. Jon, Joel, Jane, and I don’t even have a place to sleep yet,” scoffed Josie as she rolled up the kids’ four sleeping bags.
“Josie…crabby pants are not allowed in this house,” Jack scolded disapprovingly while pointing to the family’s new door sign.
During the altercation between Josie and Amelia, Jon quietly scrambled eggs for his siblings. He whispered, “My mom and dad have gone crazy. They don’t have jobs anymore because it goes against their new, carefree beach lifestyle. Little Joel is so worried about money that he’s started stealing coupons from the neighbors’ mailboxes.”
Joel isn’t the only worried child. Jon explained that yesterday, he caught Jane, the youngest, stashing leftover eggs behind the family’s wicker couch. “It’s like she knew the food would eventually run out.”
When asked about plans for their kids’ education, Amelia smiled and calmly replied, “Life is at ease with an ocean breeze!”
Amelia and Jack realize their new life is unconventional, but they are convinced that moving their family was a good call.
“That pillow at Hobby Lobby was fate. It saved us. It saved our family. Life IS better at the beach!” Amelia explained emphatically in between sips of her third mimosa.
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About the Author
Danielle Helzer is a wife, mother, and freelance writer who is addicted to coffee and NPR. Her work has been featured on The Forgotten Initiative, The Huffington Post, Her View From Home, Parent.Co, Sammiches & Psych Meds, and Scary Mommy. Read more from her on what it’s like to live life as a failed millennial at http://daniellehelzer.blogspot.com/.