Hello, Hill Section neighbors! We are the Wilsons - Matthew (Matt), Sharla, Madeleine (Maddie) (16) Nicholas (Nick) (14), and Caroline (11). Lulu, our mini Goldendoodle, turned 6 in October. We also have Gary, the bearded dragon.  

 

Both Matt and I are from the Midwest, and we moved to Manhattan Beach in late 2007. When we first moved to LA, we were close to college friends who lived in Hermosa and Manhattan Beach. We instantly recognized what a special community this was and knew that we never wanted to leave. We rented the same house in the tree section for five years while we looked for a home to buy or a lot to build. Our shared Midwestern roots left us wanting for a yard and a little more space. So, we started looking in the Hill Section in 2017. We finally found our dream home on the flat part of 8th Street and moved just prior to the birth of our 3rd child, Caroline.  We fell in love with the view, the location, the large backyard and pool and the chance to have the best of all of it in MB! Our favorite part of living here in the Hill Section is the quiet peacefulness. We have also been enjoying the amazing sunsets. We still pinch ourselves every night at sunset!

 

Matt and I met in New York City. Matt was an investment banker and was working long hours. On a rare night out, he met up with his roommate’s coworker, Ryan McCarthy. Sharla went to

college at Indiana University with Ryan and his girlfriend, Cassidy Belding (now McCarthy)

and was out with Cassidy that night. They met and instantly hit it off. That was in November

of 1998 – over 25 years ago. Ironically, these mutual friends who introduced us 25 years ago

are now married (the McCarthys) and also live in the Hill Section around the corner (The

McCarthys have also been featured in the magazine).  We will celebrate our 20th anniversary this March.

 

Matt is a partner at Oaktree Capital Management where he runs the Special

Situations Group. Sharla was a former buyer at Bloomingdales in New York but is now

working on managing their household and as an Uber driver for their 3 kiddos.

 

Our family is often seen hanging out in the Village at Metlox, eating dinner at one of David Slay’s restaurants or around Peets. Sharla is a frequent flier there.  We also

frequent the beach when the weather is warm. And we love to walk the dog around the Hill Section and meet our neighbors who are out for a walk.

 

We love so many local businesses and restaurants. We love to eat at any of the Slay restaurants, Esperanza, Arthur J, Simmzy’s, FWD, Sosta in Hermosa, our family’s favorite restaurants are Izakaya and Nick’s!

 

Our favorite show to watch as a family is Modern Family and we love any movie with Adam Sandler or Will Farrell.  

 

Sharla loves yoga and pilates and when Matt has free time, you will find him on the golf course!  We also love to have friends over with their kids to enjoy a BBQ in our backyard or a swim in the pool. The house has a movie theater, which is a lot of fun for us all to enjoy together on a Friday night.

 

Sharla went to the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and Matthew

graduated undergrad from the University of Virginia. He went on to earn an MBA at Harvard Business School.  Maddie is 16 and a Junior at Chadwick.  Nick is 14 and in 8th Grade at Chadwick.  Caroline is also at Chadwick in 5th Grade.   We are very excited to announce that Maddie has verbally committed to row at the University of Texas and will be in the class of 2029!  

 

We LOVE to travel! Matt is on the road nearly every week for work, but we like to sneak in some pleasure trips, too. Every year we spend time in Lake Tahoe.  We can’t decide if we like winter or summer better. This is always a family favorite. Last Christmas we traveled to Fiji, Sydney and New Zealand - Maddie and Sharla took a leap of faith and tried bungee jumping! Nick is currently on a school trip to Korea and we are working on planning a trip to Singapore, Thailand and Bali next summer.  We also like to go to Cabo as much as we can!  

 

All of the kids (and Sharla) enjoy tennis.  Maddie is a coxswain for Marina Aquatic Center in Marina del Rey, Nicholas loves the water. He is in Junior Guards and swims every chance he can at the Bay Club.  He also loves to surf. Caroline is also in Junior Guards and is busy with competitive cheer at SouthBay Cheer 360. Both girls also love to bake!

 

Matt’s parents join us for dinner at our home or at their home in PV Estates for family dinner time. They moved to California in 2016 to have everyone close together and it has been one of the best decisions of all time!

 

We love to participate in all that MB has to offer. Sharla is an annual participant in the Hometown Fair 10K race. We also love the pumpkin races and Halloween on the walk streets!  We all agree that MB is so special. We love our community here – it is the BEST part of Los Angeles in every respect!

 

Matt serves as Chairman of the board of directors of the Children's Bureau of LA. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Honor Foundation and is involved with the Third Option Foundation. Sharla and Maddie are actively involved in the National Charity League and Sharla is currently serving on the Chadwick CPA Board.