I met Teryce early in my Bend days. I had failed to read a parking sign correctly and overstayed my 2-hour limit in one of downtown Bend's spots. I had a ticket on my windshield, but as it was my first offense, it was just a warning. I didn't understand what I had done wrong, so I approached the parking enforcement agent and asked her to explain it to me. She kindly did and I thanked her for the warning. I chat with her every time I see her now. She exudes joy and doesn't stop smiling. And she chuckles a lot.
Who are you?
My name is Teryce Kilby. Who am I (laughs)? I am a mother of three boys. A grandmother of four children. I'm single. I have a job. I love to work. I love to hike. I love my job. I do the parking enforcement downtown in Bend. And I spread joy and happiness (laughs). I've been doing that for nine years. I get to interact with all the people downtown and all the tourists and the customers. It's just really fun. I love to hike. I like to walk. So I'm walking all day long at work. And I walk on my weekends. I go hiking. I like to climb mountains.
What brought you to Bend?
I've lived in Bend my entire life. My parents are here and all my family, so here I am. I was actually born in West Virginia, but my dad was on a transfer because he worked for the Forest Service. He transferred there for a short time. We moved back here when I was a little over a year old. When I got older, when I moved out of the house, I thought that the grass was greener on the other side and had to go explore a little bit. I've never lived anywhere more than a year away from Bend. Until recently - I just bought a house in La Pine. I love the trees. I like pine trees and the mountains. I like being in the forest. I'm not much of a sage brush and juniper person. Although, I do have a new-found love for juniper trees. I had to grow that. They're like snowflakes, not everyone of them are the same (laughs). I have a different outlook on them now from my exploring and hiking and being outside a lot.
What do you like about Bend?
I like that everything that you could possibly do is just a short distance away. We've got the desert. We've got motorcycle riding. We've got race cars nearby. We've got the mountains. Skiing. Lakes. Snowmobiling. Boating. Fishing. Hunting. Hiking. I don't know, everything you could ask for. And if you like the beach, go to the beach - it's only a couple hours away. You know? Everything's here. The mountains are beautiful. It doesn't rain a lot. It's always blue sky… most of the time (laughs).
How do you contribute to the community?
I spread joy and happiness through the interactions that I have with the people during the day at work. Most of the people when they leave my side, they leave with a smile. Everybody's always asking me for directions, where things are, where to go, where to eat. You know... what to do. I can provide them with all that information because I've lived here my whole life. I can pretty much tell them where everything is. If not, I'll Google it for them (laughs). I like to give people a hard time, joke around with them and stuff. It's just fun making people smile. Yeah, I do have to give them a couple tickets along the way sometimes. Those people don't smile as much, but when I do give them the information they need, they usually say thank you. Nobody likes getting a parking ticket, but that's my job. The interaction is the best.
Do you have a favorite activity or memory from here?
I've done so many different hikes. I've hiked Three Fingered Jack. I've hiked Broken Top. I've hiked South Sister. I've hiked Gray Butte. I've hiked up Black Butte. All these different hikes. I think South Sister's a little overrated (laughs). Although the view was spectacular, the coming down was not. I think Broken Top is my favorite. Proxy Falls - those are beautiful waterfalls. Although the hike is not very long, the falls are beautiful. I don't know if I have a favorite. Everything is just so beautiful around here. Looney Beanis my favorite coffee shop in all of like ever. I don't think there has ever been a better coffee shop.
What do you wish for the future?
I wish for happiness. Everybody get along! I just hope everybody quits fighting. I don't like all the fighting and all the political stuff that's going on right now. I'm not into that at all. Acceptance. I think everybody could get along. Love and kindness will take over. I believe that. That's what everybody wants.
Do you have any thoughts regarding Bend's growth?
Bend is growing really fast because everybody wants to be here. Because it is a beautiful place to live. My concern is that those people that come here, they come here because people are friendly and they’re happy - I just hope they can continue that. Look at people in the eye when they walk by. Tell them hello. Don't ignore them and look down. That's what makes Bend beautiful.