Timeline - Family Connections Experiment

I'm participating in the Family Connections Experiment, which is a three-week experiment looking at the benefits of family history work and connecting with family members. Before beginning, I took a brief survey about my emotional health and well being. Each day there is a short, simple, and hopefully fun family history activity. At the end of the experiment, I'll take another survey and see if anything has changed for the better. The experiment has several plans tailored to families, teens, and individuals. I chose the About Me Plan which looks to be a bunch of journaling prompts focused on your life story and family memories. My goal is to complete each daily activity and share it here on the neglected family blog.

Day 1 is a Timeline of my life where I'll be sharing a phrase or two, or even full sentences for those years when my memory is better, about important events that have happened in each year I've been alive. Those early years are going to be a struggle because my childhood memories are pretty spotty.


  • 1978 - Welcome to the world! I born in Brindisi, Italy, and moved to Vicenza when I was about four months old.
  • 1979 - First birthday
  • 1980 - Second birthday (that's all I've got for these early years, maybe my siblings or other older family members can fill in some blanks for me)
  • 1981 - We moved to Pensacola, Florida
  • 1982 - Strangely, I went to first grade the school year before I officially started Kindergarten
  • 1983 - Got a two-wheeler for my birthday and learned how to ride it, started Kindergarten, Dad was in Alaska for a year, and Benjamin was born so I was no longer the baby.
  • 1984 - We moved to Fort Meade, Maryland, where I went to first grade again and gave smiling lessons to my classmates.
  • 1985 - Megan was born and I think this is the year that my cousin Andy lived with us.
  • 1986 - I was baptized, we moved to Knaresborough, England, and had a big bike crash that still makes me a little anxious when biking 
  • 1987 - I made the switch from the British primary to school to the American school on base, and broke my arm while getting my Easter basket from the top of my wardrobe. I still love chocolate and a broken bone was a small price to pay for that candy. 
  • 1988 - I played the role of Davy Crockett's girlfriend in the school play. At school, I died every single time I played Oregon Trail during computer class.
  • 1989 - Becca was born, we moved to Prattville, Alabama, and school in the south gave me culture shock.
  • 1990 - John was born, we moved to Martinsburg, West Virginia, and school in West Virginia also gave me culture shock (this is when I learned I will never quite fit in anywhere and but I can also fit in everywhere because I'm a third culture kid)
  • 1991 - I think this was the year I went to the state social studies fair and took Honorable Mention? Sugar cube castle display and a project about castles in England. I also got glasses and was the most awkward looking seventh-grader ever. I sincerely hope there are no surviving photos. 
  • 1992 - Ditched the glasses and was crowned a lady of the Golden Horseshoe so at one point I knew a lot about West Virginia state history. Yep, I have always been kind of a nerd. 
  • 1993 - Started high school, did some community theater but always in the chorus because that's where I'm most comfortable. 
  • 1994 - Got my first job (Taco Bell) and had my first kiss (a guy named Matt from my Geometry class) and my second and third kiss because boys are fun. Had knee surgery somewhere in there too. 
  • 1995 - Left high school early and moved to Pleasant View, Utah. I got a job at the LDS Employment Office thanks to my Aunt Gail.
  • 1996 - Married Jared Daniel Moran. Best day of my life. Jared left for basic training. Worst day of my life up to that point.
  • 1997 - We moved to Honolulu, Hawaii for Jared's first Air Force assignment. Not a bad belated honeymoon at all. I worked at the mall and ate Auntie Anne's Pretzels or Sbarro or Burger King throughout my pregnancy with Madison. Super healthy prenatal diet.
  • 1998 - Madison was born! Jared briefly deployed to Diego Garcia and I could not deal with the bugs in Hawaii. 
  • 1999 - Emily was born! Jared's grandma came to visit us and we welcomed a new century.
  • 2000 - Jared's parents and sister came to Hawaii for a visit, but not all at the same time. We moved to Spangdahlem, Germany where it was significantly colder than Hawaii. 
  • 2001 - Jared deployed to Sigonella, Sicily for three months. September 11th changed life for military families. 
  • 2002 - Abby was born! Jared's parents visited us for Christmas and we went to Paris. 
  • 2003 - We went to Ireland with the Kennedys for spring break. We moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming, and lived in a teeny apartment for the first month we were there. Madison started Kindergarten.
  • 2004 - Jared and I visited our Germany friends for spring break and the girls stayed with their grandparents. We moved to our third house in Wyoming. Samantha was born!
  • 2005 - Emily started Kindergarten at the brand new school in town, Freedom Elementary. 
  • 2006 - Madison was baptized. After a pregnancy that had a rocky beginning, Natalie was born!
  • 2007 - We moved to our fourth house in Wyoming. That base housing at FE Warren was a mess. Emily was baptized. We went to Utah to spend Christmas with my family. 
  • 2008 - Jared deployed to Iraq for six months. A week after he returned we moved to Ramstein, Germany, and had Thanksgiving and Christmas that year in a hotel.
  • 2009 - We moved into what may be my favorite house ever in Herschberg, Germany. Samantha and Natalie started attending German Kindergarten. I started writing this blog! We traveled to the Pisa, Italy area for spring break. The Kennedys came to visit and we went to Poland with them. Emily and I were in a community production of The Sound of Music (Gretel Von Trapp and a nun, respectively)
  • 2010 - Emily and I were in a community production of The Sound of Music (Gretel Von Trapp and a nun, respectively). Natalie, Samantha, and I flew to the east coast to visit our family there. Abby was baptized and my parents and sister Becca came to be there for her. 
  • 2011 - Jared's grandma passed away so we went to a funeral for spring break. Abby was in her first spelling bee. We went to Bavaria with a bunch of friends for a little summer vacation. Jared was called to be the bishop of our ward and ran his first full marathon. 
  • 2012 - We went to Belgium for spring break. Sewing really started to become my favorite hobby. I began teaching the kids at the German Kindergarten little English songs once a week. Abby and I joined the Frauenchor in Herschberg. My parents and my brother John came for a visit. Madison went to Space Camp in Alabama and I tagged along and enjoyed a week by myself in a hotel. 
  • 2013 - Samantha was baptized. We went to Berlin for spring break. I spent my summer running and ran my first half marathon in September. We left our beloved Herschberg home and moved on base for the end of our time in Germany. Finally finished my associate's degree. 
  • 2014 - We visited my parents in Italy for New Year's, went to Ireland for Spring Break, and London and Prague for quick trips. Basically, we tried to squeeze out every last minute of European fun we could. We moved to Mechanicsville, Maryland. We had Thanksgiving at the Ottos house. Natalie was baptized.
  • 2015 - It snowed a lot the first winter in Maryland. I sewed a lot the first winter in Maryland. I taught seminary in our basement family room. The Old Testament is better than I ever realized. I started working at Lands' End, my first real job since before Madison was born. We flew to Germany for the sole purpose of going to as many Christmas Markets as we possibly could. 
  • 2016 - We went to Philadelphia for spring break. Madison graduated from high school and moved to Utah a few days later. We moved to Lakenheath, England. Miraculously, we were able to sell our house. What a blessing that was. 
  • 2017 - I visited Madison at school in Utah. We went to Scotland for spring break. Jared left to spend six months in Sigonella, Sicily and I was able to take four trips to visit him while he was away. I volunteered to be PTO President. Becca and Louis came to visit us. I continued to sew as much as possible. 
  • 2018 - Jared came home from Sicily. I had my fortieth birthday and it was my worst birthday ever and not because I'm not okay with getting older. I started working as a substitute teacher. We went to France for spring break. Emily graduated from high school, left for Utah State, and received a mission call to Temple Square. I took a trip without kids or husband to visit my parents in Italy. I started the BYU Pathway program so I could get started on finishing my degree. I was called as the Relief Society president and my new mantra became
    "who the Lord calls He qualifies" 
  • 2019 - Emily left for her mission. We went to Portugal for spring break. We traveled to Utah over the summer and that was an entire space A miracle/adventure. My new Relief Society/general life mantra became "it's all about love". The hardest year of my life, hands down. I kind of hated 2019. 
  • 2020 - I moved to my parent's house in Evanston, Wyoming. Jared and the girls are still in England. My life is not what I expected it to be right now so maybe this has actually been the hardest year of my life? On a positive note, Jared was promoted to Chief, Madison and Carson got married, Abby graduated from high school, and Emily will be home from her mission in 55 days. 

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