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From the mailbag

By Terri Barnes
Published: June 22, 2011

Moving with small children has its challenges. Moving with teenagers has more. I made it through those experiences one by one, each time breathing a sigh of relief when my kids plugged in, made friends, loved our new home and still loved their parents.

As my second child prepares to venture from the nest, I’ve realized that the imprints of our lifetime of moving are not temporary. Our family is marked in many ways. Some are as obvious as our eclectic furniture and décor, or our children’s complete lack of a regional accent. Some are hidden like an inventory sticker from three moves back clinging to the inside of a dresser drawer.

A real stand-up guy

By Terri Barnes
Published: June 13, 2011

When I first met Bengt Washburn, Air Force husband and stand-up comedian, he was sitting down — partly because he was on duty as a dad, not as a comic, and partly because he was exhausted.

A friend introduced us at our PX food court not far from the kiddie play area. Bengt’s baby daughter slept in her stroller while he coaxed his kindergartner to finish his lunch.

Pomp and changing circumstances

By Terri Barnes
Published: June 7, 2011

It’s that “Pomp and Circumstance” time of year. The recurrent ritual of caps, gowns and tassels touches our household as our daughter, Jessie, graduates from high school tomorrow.

In a class assignment, she wrote about moving around as a military child and how it shaped her life and personality. I asked Jessie to share some of those words here:

 
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About the Author

Terri Barnes is a military wife and mother of three living in Virginia. Her column for military spouses, "Spouse Calls," appears here and in Stars and Stripes print editions each week. Leave comments on the blog or write to her at spousecalls@stripes.com.


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