The Hill Family is rounded out with two pups on their starting roster, Bruno a Berna Doodle, and Yeti a Mini Berna Doodle.  The two older boys were hustling to arrive at the photo shoot before the sun went down after a grueling two-a-day practice.   If you know anything about ‘two-a-days’ you have heard how brutal they can be on these kids in that hot August heat and the last thing they probably wanted to do is smile in a bunch of photos!  So, I commend them for stepping up to the plate and being great sports about it.  Gibson, who is such a sweet kid, was already geared up and ready to go when I arrived on the field with a smile that never left his face. We made it fun and as you can see the photos turned out great with that gorgeous bayou backdrop that Grabinski Field provides.  Enjoy their story!  

It all started in Spring Lake High School where Kari met Adam at 15 years old.   “We were introduced by Adam's cousin, Ben, who encouraged us to hang out as a group one night and we soon became high school sweethearts.  We graduated in 2001 and managed to stay together while going to different colleges,” she says. Kari attended Aquinas College where she played softball.  She then got her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Detroit Mercy and my Master of Science in Nursing from Spring Arbor University.  She works as a Nurse Practitioner in pulmonary medicine for Trinity Health Grand Rapids.   Adam attended Ferris State University and received his Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice.  He works as a Detective for the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department.   They were married in 2006 and after graduating from their respective colleges, they started a family in 2008  “I admire Adam’s love for his family and passion for life,” confides Kari. “He is selfless and puts everyone before himself.”    Adam reciprocates the admiration telling us, “I love Kari’s unwavering dedication to giving every ounce of energy to keeping this family functioning and on task.”  

The Hill boys are heavily involved with their sports and school extracurricular activities.  Brady not only plays football but basketball and baseball as well.  He’s a member of the National Honors Society, Travel Club, and Future Health Leaders Club.   Parker is also a 3-sport athlete and participates in football, wrestling, and baseball.  He does travel baseball in the summer months with the Muskegon Clippers.   Little brother, Gibson, loves his sports as well and plays football, basketball, baseball, and runs track.  He’s on the Shoreline Stix travel baseball.   Kari and Adam are incredible teammates in their own right!  Juggling their boys’ busy schedules takes constant communication between the two of them and a lot of ‘divide and conquer’ strategizing.  “We are most proud of the young men they are becoming and the positive way they represent our family,” Kari tells Stroll Spring Lake.  “We admire their love for and dedication to athletics and using their sports and extracurricular activities as tools to better themselves into being more well-rounded individuals.”

As you can see, Kari and Adam keep very busy between the three boys' sports/activities but when they do have the occasion downtime they enjoy traveling, hiking, boating, and chasing sunsets together as a family.  “We love to explore national parks and traveling to sporting events,” Kari explains. “We are working towards catching games at as many Major League Baseball parks as we can, to date, we’ve knocked out 11 of 30!”   The Hill family are also huge college sports fans and have been a house divided. Adam and Parker are Notre Dame fans while Kari, Brady, and Gibson root for the University of Michigan so things could get interesting if the two teams are ever matched up against each other again!  

The Hills try to be as involved in this community as possible. Adam spent many seasons coaching youth sports for Spring Lake, including football and basketball. Kari was a member of the Spring Lake Youth Football Club Board for 5 years, serving as President for 3 years. Kari volunteers as "team mom" and representative for Spring Lake Boosters Club for Spring Lake Football, basketball, and baseball. They also attend St. Mary's Church in Spring Lake.

Kari and Adam always had deep roots here in Spring Lake.  “I have lived in Spring Lake my whole life. Both my parents were Spring Lake High School graduates as well and raised me and my three siblings in Spring Lake where we all still reside today,” says Kari, “I guess we love it so much none of us ever intended on leaving!”  Her family were the proud owners of Mama Mia's Pizzeria, now Mia’s Village Eats, in Spring Lake for several years and heavily involved in the community. Adam has also lived in the Spring Lake area his entire life.  He attended St. Mary's school through 8th grade before moving to Spring Lake public schools for high school.

“What we enjoy most about Spring Lake is the ‘small town’ feel and the beauty that surrounds us,” Adam explains.

 “Everyone knows everyone, or at least knows ‘of’ everyone here in Spring Lake, and roots tend to run deep.  It has become a trend that once you’ve grown up here, you have the tendency to never leave or maybe venture out of state but find your way back eventually, which is a great testament to the amazing community that has been built here over the years. Our school system is incredible, and we feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to be a part of it on a personal level as well as through our kids.”    

The Hill family couldn't think of a better place to raise their three boys. Living close to beautiful Spring Lake and Lake Michigan is an unmatched bonus.  They are Lakers through and through and bleed RED and GREY!!