Welcome
We are so happy you found us! We are Kristen and Jodi and we live to be inspired! We have two kids named Rylan and Tegan, and are former foster parents to 5 amazing kids. We are passionate adventurers from Colorado who want to make sure our priorities line up with what we are pursuing now and not later. This for us meant mixing up the concept of order. We actively pursue the art of living Out of Order.
Our Story
Jodi and I met in 2003 and have been together ever since. We 'came out' to our families a few years later, had our daughter Rylan in 2011 and our son Tegan in 2013. As soon as Tegan came into the world we knew that he had albinism, but in 2016 we received a very different and devastating diagnosis.
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Tegan went through a simple ear tube surgery and proceeded to bleed from his little ears for over 24hrs. It was clear that something was not right. Through testing we found out that Tegan had Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome and his albinism was just a symptom of that genetic disorder. He has HPS (Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome) Type 1. This means that he has a bleeding disorder, lack of pigment, is legally blind, and the scariest part for us is that one day he will develop pulmonary fibrosis. What this means is that one day, when Tegan is an adult, he will need a lung transplant. It is the only option that is available right now, but we have hope through science and research we will find a cure. Our HPS Journey
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This diagnosis changed our trajectory, it forced us to view our life with the fragility that it is. We felt compelled to live meaningfully and passionately with the beautiful time we had here on earth. In 2018 we made the decision to become foster parents. From 2018 to 2021 we cared for and loved 5 beautiful children in our home. This last year 2021 we experienced unbelievable loss when two of our foster kids went home after living with us for over two years. Our ability to say "yes" again to fostering needed to be put on pause as we tried to heal. So we decided to say "yes" to something different.
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In 2021 we sold our minivan, refinanced a rental home and bought a 30ft travel trailer and truck. We took our kids, our dog, and our openness for whatever presented itself and hit the road. We live part time traveling around the world and part time at our home in Colorado.
Our Family
Kristen
After 12 years of teaching high school Advanced Biology Kristen decided to step back to do something different. When schools went remote during the pandemic we started homeschooling our own kids with the main driver at the time being keeping Tegan’s lungs healthy. However, it quickly became increasingly clear that our kids were thriving from homeschooling and growing in new ways. Kristen’s career shift was driven from a decision to focus on our kids' growth and confidence. The freedom we gained from this decision has been incredible and the World, as it turns out, is a wonderful classroom. Kristen focuses her time as a homeschool parent, blogging, vlogging, and dreaming up the next great idea.
Jodi
Jodi is an engineering manager here in Colorado in the surgical navigation space surrounding brain and spine. She carries the confidence that drives our family forward and growing through new adventures. Through the pandemic she was able to work remotely and found that as long as she had an internet connection, her office could be established anywhere. She is a mountain biker, snowboarder , and an avid “yes” person. Jodi is always game for the next idea, challenge, or crazy project that gets dreamed up.
Rylan
Rylan is 11 years old and takes after Jodi in her ability to say “yes”. Rylan is always game for the next thing. She is witty, funny, and insanely kind. One of Rylan’s great passions in life is writing. She loves poetry, creative writing, and reading. She has her own corner of our blog where you can read some of her pieces. Imagination and creativity bubble out of this kid and it is so amazing to watch her grow. Be sure to check out some writing pieces in Rylan's Corner.
Tegan
Tegan is a quirky 9 year old who makes us all laugh. This little boy is a beacon of light and he has taught us so much about what is possible. Even though Tegan has low vision he mountain bikes, snowboards, and skateboards. He is cautious and brave all at the same time. Tegan has a real passion for creating things. Give him a glue gun and mulch and he will make you a rustic cabin. You will never find Tegan wearing regular clothes. He is usually an astronaut, ninja, rugged archeologist, or whatever else he can make with ace bandages, scarves, and sticks.
Who is this site for?
This is a blog for the people who want to live Out of Order. We are a family that finds we are not able to fit in any order. Being a LGBT family that lives with disabilities, nothing for us really feels like we fit in the “order” of things. So we have openly embraced this idea of embodying Out of Order.
For us this means choosing choices that inspire us and actively pursuing them. We travel today and do not wait for the illusive retirement idea of rest and play. We reject the idea that there are certain ways to do this thing called family. It means prioritizing our kids and who they are fully. I once heard someone say that we only get 18 summers with them and we decided that is just not enough. This is a blog for the traveler, the nomad, and those who want to do it all differently.
What will you find here?
The point of this blog is basic...inspire you to do you. You can find stories of where we have been to help you on your journeys, ideas for letting the world be part of your kids' education, and tips and tricks on how you can do this too.
Want to know more?
We have made the jump to live more Out of Order and live how we always dreamed - starting now. You can too, with what you have and where you are currently.
Join our email list , subscribe to our YouTube channel, follow us on social media, and come adventure with us! My hope is one day we can meet up in this great big mysterious world and share our adventures together!