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Show A-10 California transplant heads for the hills ERIK DAENITZ/ PARK RECORD Andy Hills, shown with son Brody and daughter Julia, managed fitness clubs in California, but changed careers to spend more time with family. Hills trades surfboard for snowboard By Steve Phillips Record contributing writer Andy Hills waxes nostalgic recalling an outstanding memory stored while growing up on the beaches of Southern California: "A hot thermos of coffee, a three- to five-foot break with a warm offshore breeze at Rincon Point near Santa Barbara, looks like corduroy; just me and the dolphins at dawn; board shorts and a long board, no wet suit." Hills shivers a bit. tucks away the precious vision, and gets back to the business at hand. There's plenty of business at hand for Hills these days. A recent transplant to Park City, he works two Salt Lake Valley jobs, one in operations management at UPS and another as an admissions counselor at Independence University. At home he's busy bringing up two young children with his wife, Monica. Though he puts in a lot of story-telling time, his favorite post-work activity is pushing the kids in their stroller through the hills above their Pinebrook condo. "We saw a moose on the trail the other day," he reports. "Julia, our two-year-old, thought it was a cow and mooed at it. It ran off." Born in San Clemente, Calif., in 1975, Hills grew up on the water. Understandably, he was not happy when, in his early teens, his family moved to remote Eureka, near the Oregon border. "There was nothing there for me," he explains. "Opposite ends of the state, opposite ends of society. There was no surfing and virtually no economy. The timber and fishing industries were dying." Hills attended Eureka High School where he excelled in sports, mostly football and basketball. "I was sort of a jock, but I also enjoyed drama class and did some plays." After graduation, Hills promptly returned to the Los Angeles area. "Eureka was so dismal, I was worried if I stayed much longer I'd start understanding Kafka,'1 he grins, conceding, "It's a great place for suicidal poets.1' Back in the Sun Belt, he soon found work at a fitness club. He took to the business and rose through the ranks to management quickly. He found a home at L.A. Fitness, a chain of clubs that was expanding rapidly in the early 1990s. Hills immersed himself in his career. "1 was happy. The lifestyle fit me and I enjoyed my work," he says. Life progressed smoothly and predictable for Hills over the next decade. Then Monica walked through the door. She was an established chiropractor with a practice in Santa Monica. "We'd just opened a new club with a chiropractic suite for lease and she came in to tour the facility for a colleague." Hills recounts. "I saw her coming and, even though giving tours was something I would normally delegate, I told the sales staff I'd take care of this one. The tour only took 10 minutes, but we sat at my desk and talked for two hours." It was a match. The two dated for three years before marrying at the historic Santa Barbara Courthouse. Hills describes Monica as "my wonderful, attractive, intelligent wife." Marriage and talk of starting a family prompted him to reexamine his career choice. "I'd been at it for so many years, working 12-hour days, it was second nature to me. But I knew I couldn't keep that up forever and still have a family life," he says.The arrival of their son. Brody, now three, accelerated the process. A year later, little Julia put the icing on the cake. Hills and his wife began searching for a new home outside California that would provide a good environment for their children. "I had several choices for a transfer." he says. "We chose Salt Lake City with the intent of eventually commuting from Park City." After one long smog-filled winter in the valley reminiscent of the 1980s L.A. basin, only colder, they moved up the mountain to Park City. "It's a beautiful place. The air is clean and the people are friendly and everybody slows down and waves as they go by. I absolutely love it up here," he says. Though Hills misses surfing and his beloved beaches, he's looking forward to next winter, and a different kind of boarding. "I got into snowboarding when I was about 10 years old, when it was just catching on" he says. "About the only good thing about Eureka was that it was within striking distance of Mt. Bachelor and Lake Tahoe. I snowboarded up here several times last year. I had heard and read a lot about Utah powder growing up and it did not disappoint. I plan to spend a lot more time on the mountain this winter. I see this as my off season and I'm working hard to get in shape." Hills says he's noted something curious while pushing the stroller through his Pinebrook neighborhood. "There are these funny snow-blowing, lawnmower looking things in all the garages. What's that all about?" he queries. He'll soon find out. Sfeve Phillips is a Park City-based writer and actor. Send your profile comments and suggestions to him at stevep263l@comcast.net VITAL STATISTICS Favorite things to do: hike, travel, cook, exercise, take the kids to the park Favorite foods: Mediterranean and Thai Favorite authors: Joseph Wambaugh, David Sedaris, Shalom Auslander, John Sandford Favorite music/performers: '60s and 70s classic rock, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Irish punk rock early in the morning- "I'm also a big fan of Prairie Home Companion and This American Life on NPR." 201 0 STARTING AUGUST 28TH COOL Off WITH THESE END-OF-SUMMER SAVINGS SI ALL FOX APPAREL & ACCESSORIES 5 0 % OFF Si DEMO MTN & CRUSIER BIKES STARTING @ $175 2 ! ALL SUMMER APPAREL 4 0 % OFF Si ALLBIKEACESS0RIES30%0FF Just what you want to do when you're in labor: go for a half hour drive. 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