Values

When money is your guide, there will never be enough. Those who continually put people first will always have their needs met. It is very refreshing to meet someone in the business world that cares about people first. A local insurance agent does just that. Terri feels that if she weren't helping people, she wouldn't be in the business. She believes if you treat people right it will come back full circle.

She takes great pride in trying to save people money by finding the best companies for the best price. Terri had previous banking experience. She worked for an electric co-op, handling high bill complaints. Her job was to find a way to help customers solve their problems. She has always been a prudent consumer who does not like to see people take advantage of.

Terri has a natural desire to help and protect people. It is not unusual for her to pass on a client to someone else without making a profit, if that is what it takes to meet their special need. It is also not unusual for her to report fraud by others. Dishonesty and fraud in business and in general upset her.

Her neighbors gave her the title of radical pool lady in 1991 when she stood up for the rights of Los Alamitos Heights residents in a battle with Chevron Real Estate Company. They planned to demolish the pool, tennis courts, and everything attached to the recreational area. The company was annoyed because they had not sold a lot in ten years.

Working on a new house in the area, Terri was not pleased with the situation. With several other residents, she led a demolition team of her own, right to the office of the attorney general. They won the battle. Residents are still enjoying the pool. Terri believes her pioneering spirit came from her grandparents on both sides of her family.

She has had an interest in photography for sixteen years. With only a basic camera class and a camera with a good lens, which was a gift from her husband, she has taken some wonderful pictures. Terri has a love for the outdoors and most of her subjects are animals, nature and natural structures. She believes she sees through the eyes of a child, seeing things others miss. Her pictures are uncluttered and clear, cutting to the heart of the subject.

Her lightening pictures are so real, one can almost hear the thunder in the background. She given away many of her creations and has won numerous awards at fairs in New Mexico and Arizona. One of her luminaria pictures ended up on an Arizona calendar. The Arizona U.S. Forest Service used some of her fire pictures to educate the public about fires. Her long range dream is to have her work published.

During their twenty years of marriage, Terri and her husband have built four houses that they have lived in. They enjoy working together and are a good team. There is a feeling of give and take and general caring about each other. While working in different parts of their house with separate workmen, they would periodically check on each other to see if the other was okay. This caught the eye of one of the workers, who couldn't believe they had been married for fifteen years at the time.

Terri attributes their happy marriage to strong family values and commitment. The couple has two sons. They will  be spending their twenty-fifth anniversary in Hawaii. She will be taking her camera and her honest values.