By: Pat Winter
Terry and Randy, with home base in Northern Virginia, have jobs with hectic schedules that require them to travel frequently. Terry even maintains an apartment in Lower Manhattan for her frequent business trips there. Opportunities to decompress and relax were too infrequent. They were looking for a retreat, a place where they could leave the big cities and their problems behind them, if just for a short time.
Terry, with the help of her mother-in-law, Plantation resident Mary Lou Soper, began their search in the northern communities of the Outer Banks. Most of the properties there are designed for summer rentals, and this was not what Terry had in mind. After a disappointing day of visiting OBX, Mary Lou mentioned the availability of several homes in the Plantation with great locations that might be worth investigating. The Sopers narrowed their search down to a home on Country Club Drive with fabulous views of both the Sound and the 18th hole of our golf course.
Since their purchase, Terry and Randy have been busy working at the house when they can sneak away for a visit. During the pandemic, both were required to work remotely, allowing them to be here for several weeks at a time, affording them time to complete many home-improvement projects. They hope to retire here permanently in about ten years, but for now the house is technically their place to relax, enjoy some Clubhouse dining, and take time to visit with neighbors.
Terry savors the opportunity to be unplugged, as she is the global chief auditor of technology for Citibank and has teams around the world working to keep all banking systems and applications working properly securely. Although trained as a CPA at St. Joseph College in Philadelphia, Terry quickly morphed into a tech person around Y2K, finding it way more exciting than most traditional CPA roles. Prior to her job at Citibank, Terry worked from 2009 to 2017 as the Inspector General of the House of Representatives, being the first woman and longest serving person in this position.
Trained as an engineer, Randy, son of AP residents Mary Lou and Michael Soper, grew up in northern Virginia and went to college at Virginia Tech. After working for the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, he now works with defense contractors as an artificial intelligence expert.
Collectively, Randy and Terry have four children, three daughters and one son, the youngest being a junior in high school. Their clan has enjoyed coming to the house, especially when they were required to study remotely during pandemic school terms. Two rescue dogs travel with the family, Honey their terrier mix, and Lola, their hound mix.
This summer the family hopes to finish up some home projects, but purchasing a golf cart for navigating their new neighborhood is a priority. Boat-ing, something they have never tried, is on their list of opportunities to explore. But finding time here to relax is key, affording them time to enjoy some of their favorite low-key hobbies: gardening, listening to science fiction audio books, and completing jigsaw puzzles.
Welcome home, Terry and Randy!