March 17, 2026

Tristan Turns 20 — Wings, Thunder, Cake, and a House Full of Family

Tristan Turns 20 — Wings, Thunder, Cake, and a House Full of Family
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On this episode of We Are the Hansons, Myia Hanson shares the story of Tristan’s 20th birthday celebration — a day filled with family, laughter, comfort food, and unforgettable weather. With 74 chicken wings, Grandma Darlene’s mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and a house full of brothers, cousins, friends, and loved ones, the Hansons gathered together to celebrate Tristan reaching an important milestone. Even as a severe thunderstorm and snow squall warning rolled through outside, the warmth inside the house made it one of those family days that becomes a lasting memory. It was simple, joyful, and exactly the kind of celebration that reminds us what family is all about.

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Hey, welcome back to We are the Hansons. I'm your host,

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Maya Hanson, and I am so glad you're here with

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me today because today is one of my favorite kinds

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of episodes. Not a tips episode, not a how to episode,

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not a list of things you should be doing, are

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ways to be better or habits to build before eight

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in the morning. Just a family episode the kid where

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I pull up a chair, pour myself something warm, and

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just talk to you the way I would talk to

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a good friend who is sitting right here at my

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kitchen table. Real talk, real moments, real life. And this

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past weekend gave me something really worth talking about, something

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I have been turning over in my mind ever since

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it happened. Because we celebrated Tristan's twentieth birthday and it

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was one of those days you know exactly the kind

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I meet, The kind that does not announce itself as

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special ahead of time, the kind that does not have

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a theme or a playlist or a color scheme. The

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kind that just builds and builds throughout the day until

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you find yourself standing in the middle of your own

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house thinking, Wow, this is one of.

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The good ones. I want to walk you through the whole.

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Day, because it was the kind of day that deserves

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to be told out loud, the kind that belongs in

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the family story, the kind you will still be referencing

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at the dinner table ten years from now. So grab

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something warm, get comfortable, and let's go back to Tristan's

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twentieth birthday. There are some birthdays that carry more weight

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than others, not because of what is spent on them,

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not because of how many decorations are hung, or how

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elaborate the setup looks, but because of what the number

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itself represents, And twenty is one of those numbers. Twenty

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has always hit a little different to me. Eighteen gets

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all the fanfare. Eighteen feels very official and very serious.

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Everyone makes a big deal out.

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Of eighteen because it comes with all these markers that

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feel significant. You can vote, you can sign contracts, you

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are legally an adult in the eyes of the world.

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Eighteen is a loud number. It demands attention. And then

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twenty one comes along, and it also gets a lot

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of attention for its own reasons. But twenty twenty tends

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to just quietly slip away. Twenty tends to just quietly

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slip by and I do not think that is fair,

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because twenty is actually remarkable. Twenty is the year you

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are only done with your teenage years. There is no

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more nineteen. There is no more seventeen or fifteen, or

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any of those years where you are still figuring out

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who you are and what you think and what you believe.

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When you are twenty, you have cleared that runway. You

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are standing on the edge of something wider, and that

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is worth celebrating in its own right.

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Twenty is the beginning of your actual adult life.

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The beginning of the decisions that are going to shape

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the next chapter, the beginning of figuring out what you

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want and working toward it in a real way. And

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yet it still has one foot in the familiar. You

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are still close enough to your growing up years to

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remember them clearly, close enough to lean back on the

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people who raised you, close enough to still be figuring

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it out without the pressure of having to have it

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all together. I think that balance is actually one of

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the most interesting places a person can be. One foot

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in what they know, one foot stepping into something new.

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That is where Tristan stood when he turned twenty this weekend,

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and I could not have been more proud to be

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in the room celebrating with him now in our house.

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Birthday planning is not a complicated production. We do not

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sit down a month ahead of time with a notebook

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and a spreadsheet and a full project plan. That is

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not how we roll. We think about the person, we

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think about what they love, we think about who needs

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to be there, and then we.

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Make it happen. That is the process.

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And for Tristan, it was actually very clear from the

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start what this day needed to look like. He is

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not someone who needs a big show. He is not

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someone who is going to walk into a room and

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wants spotlights and a DJ and a formal event. That

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is not Tristan. Tristan just wants the people. He wants

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everyone around, He wants good food. He wants to be

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in a space where everyone is relaxed and comfortable and

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nobody is performing for anybody else. And that is honestly

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my favorite kind of gathering to put together, because the

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simpler the goal, the harder it can be to actually deliver.

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Getting everyone in the same room at the same time

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is not always easy. Life gets busy, Schedules do not

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line up the way we want them to. People have

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jobs and commitments and all the things that make coordinating

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a family gathering feel like a small miracle when it

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actually comes together. But we made it happen. We got

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the people lined up, we figured out the food. We

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made sure that when the day arrived, everything was in

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place for Tristan to walk into a room full of

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everyone who mattered to him.

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And that felt good.

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That felt like exactly the right kind of effort to

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put in for a twentieth birthday. Not flashy, just intentional,

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just love made practical.

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Okay, let's talk.

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About the food, because in this family, food is never

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just food.

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Food is language.

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Food is how we say I love you and I'm

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glad you are here, and I want you to stay

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a little longer. Food does the reason gatherings last as

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long as they do. And for Tristan's birthday, we were

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not messing around. We ordered seventy four chicken wings. Seventy four.

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I want you to.

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Sit with that number for a second, because that is

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not an accident. That is not a casual let us

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just throw some wings in the cart and see what

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happens kind of decision. Seventy four wings is a statement.

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It says we know this house is going to be full.

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It says, we know this crowd. It says nobody is

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leaving this table hungry. And that is exactly how it

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played out. Wings were the star of the table, and

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I love that so much because wings are the most

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honest food there is. They're not meant to be eaten politely.

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You can say across from someone and eat a chicken

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wing and pretend to be anything other than exactly who

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you are. You just pick it up, You dig in,

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you get sauce on your fingers, You reach across the

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table without asking, You grab another one before the plate

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is even halfway done. And all of that reaching and

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grabbing and laughing and passing the ranch is exactly the

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kind of meal time energy that tells you that gathering

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is going well. Wings are family food. They are the

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kind of food that belongs at a table where nobody

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has to perform, where you can just eat and talk

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and be yourself. And that energy was there from the

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very first plate. Alongside the wings, I also made two

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dishes that carry a lot of meaning in our house,

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Gramma Darlens mac and cheese and Gramma Darlen's mashed potatoes.

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And I want to talk about those for a minute,

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not just because they are delicious, which they are, absolutely

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but because of what they represent. Cooking from someone's rest

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is an act of love. It is also an act

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of memory. Every time I pull out those recipes and

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start gathering the ingredients, I think a Gramma Darlene. I

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think about her kitchen. I think about the way she

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moved around a stove like it was second nature. I

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think about the way food was never just something she

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made to get through meal time. It was something she

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poured herself into. It was how she showed people they

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were welcome. It was how she said, sit down, stay

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a while, you belong here. And when I cook those

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dishes now I carry all of that with me. She

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is not here at the table anymore. But she is

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not completely gone either, not when those dishes are there,

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not when you take that first bite and something in

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you goes quiet for just a second before the noise

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of the room rushes back in. That quiet moment is her.

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That is the memory making itself felt. And I am

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also grateful that I have those recipes. I am also

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grateful that I can keep cooking them. And I am

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also grateful that every time I do the table feels

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a little fullert even when the guest list does not change.

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The mac and cheese was rich and creamy and exactly

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what you wanted to The mashed potatoes were smooth and

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buttery and warm in a way that goes beyond temperature.

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They warm you from the inside out. And on a cold,

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stormy day with a houseful of people you love, that

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kind of comfort food is exactly right. It is exactly

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what the moment asks.

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For Now, I want to talk.

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About the people, because the food was wonderful, and the

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day was wonderful, and all of it was wonderful, but

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the people made it. The people are always what makes it.

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Tristan had all three of his brothers there, Colin, Keenan,

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and Gavin, all three of them in the same room

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on the same day. If you are raising multiple kids,

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or if you grew up in a big family yourself,

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you know what that means. Getting all the brothers together

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is not something you can take for granted. Life has

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a way of spreading people out different schedules, different places.

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They need to be different things, pulling at their time.

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So when you.

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Get all of them in the same room at the

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same time, you feel it. You feel the completeness of it,

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like a puzzle that has been missing pieces finally getting

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them all in place, like a sound that finally feels finished.

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That is the only way I know how to describe it.

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There is a specific kind of wholeness that comes when

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the people who belong together are actually together. And when

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all four of those brothers were under the same roof

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on Tristan's birthday.

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The house felt whole.

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It felt right, And there is something specific about the

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way brothers interact that is unlike any other relationship I

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have ever watched.

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It is loud, it is layered.

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It is full of references and history and inside jokes

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that only work if you were there for the thing

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that started them. It is years of growing up in

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the same house, sharing the same space, getting on each

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other's nerves, and having each other's backs, all compressed into

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a conversation that moves so fast an outsider could barely

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keep up. That is brothers, brothers who know each other

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in a way that is hard to replicate anywhere else.

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They know the best version of you and the worst

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version of you, and every version in between. They know

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exactly which buttons to push, and exactly when.

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To back off.

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They know how to make you laugh harder than anyone

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else can, and they know how to show up when

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it matters without making a big deal about showing up.

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That is brothers, and watching all four of them together

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that day was one of the highlights of the whole

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birthday for me. You could see it on Tristan's face,

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the way he just settled in, the way the tension

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of everyday life kind of dropped off his shoulders when

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everyone was around, because when your brothers are there, you

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are home. No matter where you are, you are home.

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Gavin's girlfriend, Riley was also there, and she just belonged.

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That is the only way I can describe it. She

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was not on the edges of the day. She was

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not sitting back trying to figure out the room. She

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was right in the middle of everything, laughing, talking, comfortable,

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and that is such a good sign. When someone fits

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into your family the way she does, it tells you

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something about who they are and how they moved through

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the world. Then we have five of Tristan's cousins. Over

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The cousins are their own specific kind of gift. They're

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close enough to be family and just different enough from

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your immediate circle, that they bring fresh energy into the room.

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They know your family's story, that they have their own

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spin on all of them. They care about you in

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that deep rooted way that only comes from years of

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shared family history. But they are also fun. Cousins know

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how to have fun. And five of them together in

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one house on a birthday, that house came alive. The

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noise level went up, the laughter got louder, the day

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got bigger, and it was exactly what we needed. And

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then we had Dan and his son, Aaron. Dan is

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someone who has been in our lives long enough that

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the word friend almost feels like it does not cover it.

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He is family. He is the kind of person who

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shows up, who is just there, who fits into our

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00:12:15.559 --> 00:12:19.120
world as naturally as if he had always been part

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00:12:19.159 --> 00:12:21.759
of it, and erin right alongside him.

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00:12:21.919 --> 00:12:23.480
When I looked around that room.

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00:12:23.279 --> 00:12:26.799
At all of those faces, I had one of those moments,

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00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:29.600
you know, the kind where you are in the middle

244
00:12:29.639 --> 00:12:32.879
of everything and you just stop and you look and

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00:12:32.919 --> 00:12:36.000
you really see it. I saw Tristan laughing with his brothers.

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00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:39.679
I saw cousins crowded around the food. I saw Riley

247
00:12:39.720 --> 00:12:42.360
talking with someone in the corner. I saw Dan and

248
00:12:42.399 --> 00:12:44.759
Aaron right in the mix, and I thought.

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00:12:44.600 --> 00:12:45.200
This is it.

250
00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:48.440
This right here, This is the whole point. This is

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00:12:48.480 --> 00:12:51.519
what all the hard work of building a family is for.

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00:12:52.080 --> 00:12:54.720
Not the picture perfect version of a family, not the

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00:12:54.799 --> 00:12:59.000
created version, the real version, the loud version, the version

254
00:12:59.000 --> 00:13:02.039
where everyone is eating too much and talking too fast

255
00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:04.720
and nobody is trying to impress anybody. This is the

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00:13:04.799 --> 00:13:07.919
version that actually lasts. This is the version that Tristan

257
00:13:07.960 --> 00:13:10.080
will carry with him for the rest of his life.

258
00:13:10.159 --> 00:13:12.360
And I was so glad we gave it to him.

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00:13:12.519 --> 00:13:14.759
Now I cannot close out the story of this day

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00:13:14.799 --> 00:13:18.240
without talking about the weather, because the weather was absolutely

261
00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:20.720
doing its thing. While we were right in the middle

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00:13:20.759 --> 00:13:24.120
of the celebration, a severe thunderstorm rolled through. And I

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00:13:24.200 --> 00:13:26.960
mean a real one, not the time where it drizzles

264
00:13:27.000 --> 00:13:30.000
a little and the sky gets gray and you think, hmm,

265
00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:35.240
might rain later. I mean thunder, big, deep, rolling thunder

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00:13:35.480 --> 00:13:37.279
that you do not just hear.

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00:13:37.639 --> 00:13:38.279
You feel it.

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00:13:38.600 --> 00:13:41.039
You feel it in the floor a little bit, you

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00:13:41.039 --> 00:13:43.360
feel it in your chest if the windows are close enough,

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00:13:43.600 --> 00:13:47.679
Lightning flashes outside, rain hitting hard against the windows. And then,

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00:13:48.080 --> 00:13:51.039
because the weather apparently felt like making a point, there

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00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:51.759
was also a.

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00:13:51.679 --> 00:13:54.039
Snowsquall warning on top of it all.

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00:13:54.279 --> 00:13:57.639
A thunderstorm and a snowsquall at the same time in

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00:13:57.679 --> 00:13:59.840
the same afternoon make it make sense.

276
00:14:00.159 --> 00:14:00.919
But here's the thing.

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00:14:01.039 --> 00:14:03.399
The storm did not put a dent in our day,

278
00:14:03.559 --> 00:14:06.039
not even a little bit. It actually made the day better.

279
00:14:06.159 --> 00:14:08.840
And I have thought about why that is since then,

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00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:12.159
because I think it is interesting. When the weather is

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00:14:12.200 --> 00:14:15.440
wild outside and you are warm and safe and surrounded

282
00:14:15.480 --> 00:14:19.879
by good people inside, something shifts. The contrast sharpens everything.

283
00:14:20.039 --> 00:14:22.759
The food tastes a little better, the laughter sounds a

284
00:14:22.759 --> 00:14:25.519
little warmer, the room feels more like the place you

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00:14:25.600 --> 00:14:29.679
are supposed to be. There's something primal about it, honestly,

286
00:14:29.799 --> 00:14:33.440
some deep human thing that kicks in when there's a

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00:14:33.480 --> 00:14:36.519
storm outside and you're inside with your people. It makes

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00:14:36.519 --> 00:14:39.519
the warm feel more real, It makes the safety feel

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00:14:39.559 --> 00:14:40.240
more valuable.

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00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:41.960
It makes you look around.

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00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:45.039
At the people with you and feel genuinely grateful that

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00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:48.559
they are there. Because outside the sky is cracking open,

293
00:14:49.000 --> 00:14:52.480
wind was pushing against the house, rain was coming down hard,

294
00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:56.639
and inside inside there were wings being passed around. There

295
00:14:56.679 --> 00:14:59.600
was mac and cheese on the table. There were brothers

296
00:14:59.720 --> 00:15:02.919
giving each other a hard time. There were cousins being cousins.

297
00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:07.279
There was laughter coming from every direction. The storm could

298
00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:09.639
not touch any of it. And I think that is

299
00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:13.000
actually a pretty good picture of what a strong family

300
00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:16.919
feels like. Not immune to storms, not pretending the hard

301
00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:21.240
things do not happen, but solid enough, warm enough, full

302
00:15:21.360 --> 00:15:24.279
enough that when the storm comes, it just makes the

303
00:15:24.320 --> 00:15:27.639
inside feel better. It just makes you hold tighter to

304
00:15:27.679 --> 00:15:31.039
the people who are already there. That is what family does,

305
00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:34.440
that is what it is for. And on Tristan's birthday,

306
00:15:34.600 --> 00:15:37.519
in the middle of a thunderstorm and a snowsquall warning,

307
00:15:37.840 --> 00:15:40.279
that is exactly what it felt like. I want to

308
00:15:40.320 --> 00:15:43.000
take a quick moment here and just talk about Tristan,

309
00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:46.080
not the birthday, not the food, or the people or

310
00:15:46.120 --> 00:15:49.600
the weather, just him, because this whole episode is really

311
00:15:49.600 --> 00:15:52.919
about him, and he deserves more than just a passing mention.

312
00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:56.200
I have had the privilege of watching this kid grow up,

313
00:15:56.399 --> 00:15:59.159
and I do not take that lightly. Watching someone grow

314
00:15:59.240 --> 00:16:03.639
up is one of the most humbling, beautiful, sometimes heartbreaking,

315
00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:07.159
always worth it experiences there is because you see it

316
00:16:07.200 --> 00:16:10.759
all the good days and the frustrating ones, the moments

317
00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:13.200
where they surprise you with how far they have come,

318
00:16:13.440 --> 00:16:15.759
the moments where you see them struggle and you want

319
00:16:15.799 --> 00:16:18.000
to step in and fix it, but you know the

320
00:16:18.000 --> 00:16:20.720
best thing you can do is let them figure it

321
00:16:20.759 --> 00:16:23.000
out all of it. And what I can tell you

322
00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:26.759
about Tristan after watching all of that is this, he

323
00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:32.679
is his own person, genuinely, specifically, irreplaceably his own person.

324
00:16:32.919 --> 00:16:35.639
He is funny in a way that catches you off guard.

325
00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:38.840
Not the kind of funny that is always performing, not

326
00:16:38.960 --> 00:16:42.200
the kind that is working for the laugh, just naturally

327
00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:45.679
instinctively funny in a way that comes out at the

328
00:16:45.720 --> 00:16:49.000
most unexpected moments, the kind of funny that makes you

329
00:16:49.120 --> 00:16:53.120
laugh before you have even processed why. He is more

330
00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:56.720
thoughtful than he always lets on. He pays attention. He

331
00:16:56.840 --> 00:17:00.000
notices things about people around him. He cares about him

332
00:17:00.200 --> 00:17:03.240
brothers in a way that shows up in the details,

333
00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:05.799
in the moments you might not notice if you are

334
00:17:05.799 --> 00:17:08.319
not paying attention, but they are there. He has a

335
00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:11.279
quietness in him that holds a lot. And as he

336
00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:14.640
steps into twenty, as he steps further into his own

337
00:17:14.680 --> 00:17:18.000
adult life, I think that quietness is going to serve

338
00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:20.240
him well. I think all of it is going to

339
00:17:20.279 --> 00:17:23.599
serve him well, because he has a solid foundation he

340
00:17:23.720 --> 00:17:26.480
has people who love him. He has a family who

341
00:17:26.519 --> 00:17:30.160
shows up. He has grown up watching what real commitment

342
00:17:30.240 --> 00:17:33.839
looks like, what real loyalty looks like, what it looks

343
00:17:33.880 --> 00:17:37.279
like when people build something together and protect it together,

344
00:17:37.519 --> 00:17:40.599
and show up for each other even when it's inconvenient.

345
00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:43.880
He has seen that up close his whole life. And

346
00:17:43.920 --> 00:17:46.680
that is not something you can teach in a classroom.

347
00:17:46.880 --> 00:17:50.000
That is something you absorb, something you've taken over the

348
00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:53.000
years and years of watching the people around you live it.

349
00:17:53.279 --> 00:17:55.759
He knows what real looks like. He has seen it

350
00:17:55.920 --> 00:17:58.680
at this table, in this house, in the people who

351
00:17:58.759 --> 00:18:01.480
drove through the storm to be there for his birthday.

352
00:18:01.960 --> 00:18:04.519
That knowledge is going to carry him further than he

353
00:18:04.599 --> 00:18:08.119
knows when things get hard, and things always get hard,

354
00:18:08.160 --> 00:18:10.839
at some point, he is going to know what to

355
00:18:10.920 --> 00:18:13.640
reach for. He is going to know that you reach

356
00:18:13.720 --> 00:18:16.640
for the people, you gather them, you let them in,

357
00:18:16.880 --> 00:18:19.240
You feed them and make them laugh and let the

358
00:18:19.279 --> 00:18:23.440
house get loud, and trust that warmth will hold against

359
00:18:23.480 --> 00:18:26.599
whatever storm is blowing through. That is what he has

360
00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:29.559
learned here, and that is the best thing we could

361
00:18:29.599 --> 00:18:31.960
have ever given him. So here is what I want

362
00:18:31.960 --> 00:18:35.279
to say directly to Tristan, if you ever listen to this,

363
00:18:35.720 --> 00:18:38.839
or read this, or somebody tells you about this someday,

364
00:18:39.319 --> 00:18:42.240
your twentieth birthday was one of those days that I

365
00:18:42.279 --> 00:18:45.039
am going to keep not on a shelf, not in

366
00:18:45.079 --> 00:18:48.279
a photo album, but in my heart, in that part

367
00:18:48.359 --> 00:18:51.880
of you where the really good things live, because it

368
00:18:51.960 --> 00:18:55.640
was real and full, and you were surrounded by love,

369
00:18:56.039 --> 00:18:58.079
and that is everything a birthday should be.

370
00:18:58.640 --> 00:19:02.720
And like every good birthday, the night ended with cake. Now.

371
00:19:02.720 --> 00:19:03.960
I know that sounds simple.

372
00:19:04.920 --> 00:19:07.839
I know cake is just a thing that happens at birthdays,

373
00:19:08.119 --> 00:19:10.319
But I always want to push back on the idea

374
00:19:10.519 --> 00:19:14.039
that the cake moment is just a formality, because it

375
00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:17.839
is so much more than that. Cake is the gathering moment.

376
00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:21.200
It is the moment where everyone who has been spread

377
00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:25.039
across the room, talking in different corners, doing different things,

378
00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:30.000
all comes together in the same space. Everyone stops, everyone turns,

379
00:19:30.559 --> 00:19:35.039
phones come out, somebody starts singing, and then everybody joins in,

380
00:19:35.519 --> 00:19:38.960
some on key and some very much not, and nobody cares.

381
00:19:39.599 --> 00:19:41.720
And then the birthday person is right there in the

382
00:19:41.720 --> 00:19:46.839
middle of it. Candles lit, room full, everybody looking at them,

383
00:19:47.240 --> 00:19:51.079
everyone there for them, just for that moment. Just for

384
00:19:51.160 --> 00:19:55.599
that specific, singular, beautiful moment. And no matter how many

385
00:19:55.640 --> 00:19:58.400
times you have been part of that circle, no matter

386
00:19:58.480 --> 00:20:02.279
how many birthdays you have around and sung through, it

387
00:20:02.359 --> 00:20:05.799
never gets old. There is still something there, something in

388
00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:09.319
the air, something that feels important without being able to

389
00:20:09.359 --> 00:20:13.079
say exactly why, watching everyone gather around Tristan for that

390
00:20:13.200 --> 00:20:15.680
moment was one of those things that will carry with

391
00:20:15.720 --> 00:20:18.559
me for a long time. I looked at his face.

392
00:20:19.240 --> 00:20:22.119
I looked at all the faces around him, his brothers,

393
00:20:22.319 --> 00:20:26.880
his cousins, Riley, Dan, Aaron, everyone who had came out

394
00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:30.079
in the middle of a thunderstorm and a snowsquall warning,

395
00:20:30.359 --> 00:20:32.559
just to be able to be in that room, just

396
00:20:32.559 --> 00:20:35.279
to sing a song, just to stand around a cake

397
00:20:35.559 --> 00:20:39.119
and say with their presence that this moment matters, that

398
00:20:39.240 --> 00:20:42.759
he matters, because he does. And the cake moment said

399
00:20:42.799 --> 00:20:45.480
it better than any speech ever could. It said it

400
00:20:45.519 --> 00:20:48.319
the way only a full room can. Let me come

401
00:20:48.359 --> 00:20:50.880
back to the recipe for just a little bit longer,

402
00:20:51.160 --> 00:20:53.960
because I mentioned them in the food section, and I

403
00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:57.400
want to give them the space they deserve. Grandma Darlene's

404
00:20:57.440 --> 00:21:00.759
mac and cheese and mashed potatoes were not just dishes.

405
00:21:00.839 --> 00:21:04.200
They were presents. They were a reminder that the people

406
00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:07.160
we love do not just disappear when they leave us.

407
00:21:07.519 --> 00:21:10.359
They stand the things they made and the habits they

408
00:21:10.400 --> 00:21:13.480
built in the recipe they wrote down so we could

409
00:21:13.559 --> 00:21:16.920
keep making what they made and feel them close again

410
00:21:17.160 --> 00:21:20.400
when we need it most. Grandma d Arlene understood the table.

411
00:21:20.519 --> 00:21:23.559
She understood what it means to feed people, not just

412
00:21:23.599 --> 00:21:26.400
to give them calories, but to give them care, to

413
00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:29.279
give them the message that says you are welcome here,

414
00:21:29.480 --> 00:21:31.759
you are wanted here, Sit down and stay a while.

415
00:21:31.880 --> 00:21:34.319
That is what her cooking said. That is what I

416
00:21:34.440 --> 00:21:37.440
try to carry forward every time I pull out her recipes.

417
00:21:37.599 --> 00:21:39.680
Her mac and cheese is one of those dishes that

418
00:21:39.799 --> 00:21:43.599
look simple but taste like somebody really cared, real ingredients,

419
00:21:43.759 --> 00:21:46.759
real effort, real love, cooked right into every bite, and

420
00:21:46.799 --> 00:21:49.000
when you taste it, you know, you just know that

421
00:21:49.079 --> 00:21:52.799
somebody made this with intention, made it thinking about who

422
00:21:52.880 --> 00:21:55.240
was going to be at the table, made it wanting

423
00:21:55.279 --> 00:21:57.839
it to be good, wanting it to feel like home.

424
00:21:58.079 --> 00:22:01.079
The mashed potatoes are the same way, warm and smooth

425
00:22:01.079 --> 00:22:03.559
and buttery, and the kind of thing you reach four

426
00:22:03.720 --> 00:22:06.119
when the world feels a little heavy and you need

427
00:22:06.200 --> 00:22:10.480
something solid and comforting and true. On Tristan's birthday, with

428
00:22:10.640 --> 00:22:13.759
the storm outside and the house full inside, those dishes

429
00:22:13.799 --> 00:22:17.000
for the perfect anchor. They grounded the whole table. They

430
00:22:17.079 --> 00:22:20.359
made everything feel more settled, more right, more like the

431
00:22:20.359 --> 00:22:23.160
family gathering it was meant to be. And every single

432
00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:25.440
person who took a bite got a little piece of

433
00:22:25.480 --> 00:22:28.519
Gramma Darlene, whether they knew it or not. This is

434
00:22:28.559 --> 00:22:31.000
the magic of cooking from someone's recipe.

435
00:22:31.119 --> 00:22:33.599
That is the legacy that lives in the food.

436
00:22:33.880 --> 00:22:36.240
I am so glad we made those dishes that day,

437
00:22:36.279 --> 00:22:38.920
and I plan to keep making them for every family

438
00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:41.839
table we ever gather around. I want to share one

439
00:22:41.839 --> 00:22:45.319
of those recipes with you before we close out this episode,

440
00:22:45.519 --> 00:22:48.400
because one of my favorite things about this show is

441
00:22:48.440 --> 00:22:51.759
sharing pieces of our life with you, not just the stories,

442
00:22:52.200 --> 00:22:53.720
but the practical.

443
00:22:53.160 --> 00:22:55.240
Things, the things that you can.

444
00:22:55.119 --> 00:22:58.359
Actually bring into your own home and your own kitchen

445
00:22:58.599 --> 00:23:02.400
and your own table. So here it is Grandma's style

446
00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:04.519
creamy mashed potatoes.

447
00:23:04.920 --> 00:23:06.160
This is the recipe.

448
00:23:06.200 --> 00:23:08.759
This is the real one, and it is simple enough

449
00:23:08.799 --> 00:23:12.319
that anybody can do it and delicious enough that everybody

450
00:23:12.359 --> 00:23:15.359
will come back for seconds. Here's what you need. Five

451
00:23:15.440 --> 00:23:16.480
pounds of potatoes.

452
00:23:16.599 --> 00:23:17.240
You can use.

453
00:23:17.200 --> 00:23:21.359
Rusted potatoes, which are the classic choice. They are starchy

454
00:23:21.759 --> 00:23:25.279
and they mash up beautifully. Two sticks of butter, not

455
00:23:25.359 --> 00:23:29.640
a half stick, not a tablespoon, or two two full sticks.

456
00:23:30.279 --> 00:23:33.079
This is not the time to be shy about the butter.

457
00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:36.279
And here is the secret ingredient that makes the mashed

458
00:23:36.279 --> 00:23:37.200
potatoes great.

459
00:23:37.480 --> 00:23:39.599
You had the two sticks of butter, you had the milk.

460
00:23:39.720 --> 00:23:42.839
I just kind of pour the milk to what I think,

461
00:23:42.920 --> 00:23:46.079
because Grandma really never had a set measuring of the milk.

462
00:23:46.240 --> 00:23:50.359
The most important ingredient is the salt and pepper. And

463
00:23:50.400 --> 00:23:53.160
if you like a little extra warmth in the flavor,

464
00:23:53.200 --> 00:23:57.680
a pinch of garlic powder. That is the whole list, simple, real,

465
00:23:58.119 --> 00:24:02.039
nothing fancy. Here's how you make it. Heel your potatoes

466
00:24:02.039 --> 00:24:05.200
and cut them into pieces. The reason you want them

467
00:24:05.279 --> 00:24:08.160
even is so that they cook at the same rate.

468
00:24:08.359 --> 00:24:10.079
If you have big chunks and.

469
00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:13.319
Small chunks cooking together, the small ones are going to

470
00:24:13.359 --> 00:24:17.079
get overcooked before the big ones are ready. Even pieces

471
00:24:17.160 --> 00:24:20.519
means even cooking. Once they are all cut, put them

472
00:24:20.559 --> 00:24:23.960
into a big pot and cover them with cold water.

473
00:24:24.319 --> 00:24:27.359
Add a generous amount of salt in the water.

474
00:24:27.680 --> 00:24:28.599
This is important.

475
00:24:28.880 --> 00:24:33.519
The water should taste salty, not unbearably salty, but noticeably salty,

476
00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:37.880
because potatoes absorb the seasoning from the water as they cook,

477
00:24:38.240 --> 00:24:41.279
and if the water is bland, the potatoes are going

478
00:24:41.319 --> 00:24:45.039
to be bland, no matter how much you season them afterwards.

479
00:24:45.640 --> 00:24:49.480
Salt your water every time. Bring the pot to a boil,

480
00:24:49.599 --> 00:24:52.799
and let the potatoes cook until they are completely forked tender.

481
00:24:53.200 --> 00:24:55.000
You want to be able to push the fork right

482
00:24:55.079 --> 00:24:58.640
through the center of a piece without any resistance at all.

483
00:24:58.839 --> 00:25:01.160
If there is even a litt a little bit of pushback,

484
00:25:01.440 --> 00:25:04.880
give them more time. Uncooked potatoes do not mash well.

485
00:25:05.039 --> 00:25:08.480
Trust the fork. When they are ready, drain them completely,

486
00:25:08.720 --> 00:25:11.640
Shake the pot a little to get all the water off,

487
00:25:12.160 --> 00:25:15.759
then put the potatoes back into the warm pot. Now

488
00:25:15.920 --> 00:25:18.640
here's where it all comes together. Add your two full

489
00:25:18.720 --> 00:25:21.440
sticks of butter right away. The heat from the potatoes

490
00:25:21.480 --> 00:25:23.640
will melt it and you will see it start to

491
00:25:23.759 --> 00:25:27.640
soak right in. Add your milk, season with salt and pepper,

492
00:25:28.000 --> 00:25:31.359
and if you choose garlic powder if that's what you're using,

493
00:25:31.759 --> 00:25:34.720
and then mash them use a potato masher or a

494
00:25:34.759 --> 00:25:38.039
hand mixer, depending on how smooth you like them. If

495
00:25:38.079 --> 00:25:40.839
you use a hand mixer. Be careful not to overmix.

496
00:25:41.400 --> 00:25:45.319
Over mixing makes potatoes gluey. You want smooth and creamy,

497
00:25:45.400 --> 00:25:49.279
not sticky. Mash until everything is fully combined and there

498
00:25:49.279 --> 00:25:52.680
are no lumps hiding in there. Then taste. This is

499
00:25:52.680 --> 00:25:56.720
the most important step. Taste your potatoes and adjust the seasoning.

500
00:25:57.240 --> 00:25:59.920
Maybe they need more salt, maybe they need more butter,

501
00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:04.319
maybe a touch of milk. You are the cook, you

502
00:26:04.359 --> 00:26:08.240
get to decide, trust your taste, and then, right before

503
00:26:08.279 --> 00:26:11.200
you bring them to the table, add one more extra

504
00:26:11.279 --> 00:26:14.319
pat of butter right on top and let it melt

505
00:26:14.359 --> 00:26:17.440
over everything. The last pat of butter is more than

506
00:26:17.519 --> 00:26:19.559
just flavor. It is the presentation.

507
00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:20.880
It is warmth.

508
00:26:21.279 --> 00:26:23.799
It is the finishing touch that says I made this

509
00:26:23.960 --> 00:26:26.440
for you, and I wanted it to be good. Serve

510
00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:30.359
them hot, bring them to the table, and watch them disappear,

511
00:26:30.680 --> 00:26:33.440
because they will, I promise you they will. As I

512
00:26:33.519 --> 00:26:37.000
think back to Tristan's twentieth birthday, a few things keep

513
00:26:37.039 --> 00:26:40.440
coming back to me. Not the logistics, not the planning

514
00:26:40.519 --> 00:26:43.680
or the timing or the number of wings, but the feeling.

515
00:26:43.960 --> 00:26:47.240
The feeling is what stays. It always is the sound

516
00:26:47.240 --> 00:26:49.960
of that house full of people is what keeps coming

517
00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:53.759
back to me. The way voices overlap when everyone is comfortable,

518
00:26:54.119 --> 00:26:57.359
the way brothers laugh at things that only brothers understand,

519
00:26:57.720 --> 00:27:01.160
the way cousins bring that specific energy that is different

520
00:27:01.200 --> 00:27:04.519
from anybody else. The way good friends blend right into

521
00:27:04.559 --> 00:27:08.200
the family without any scenes, the way thunder sounds when

522
00:27:08.240 --> 00:27:09.839
you are safe inside.

523
00:27:09.400 --> 00:27:10.359
With people you love.

524
00:27:10.839 --> 00:27:13.559
I keep thinking about how fast these years go by.

525
00:27:13.720 --> 00:27:16.559
How one day you are holding a tiny person who

526
00:27:16.599 --> 00:27:19.559
is completely new to the world, and then you blink,

527
00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:22.480
or you do not blink, You try your hardest to

528
00:27:22.519 --> 00:27:26.799
pay attention and not miss anything, and still somehow twenty

529
00:27:26.920 --> 00:27:30.039
years have passed, and that tiny person is now a

530
00:27:30.079 --> 00:27:32.880
young man, standing on the edge of everything.

531
00:27:32.519 --> 00:27:33.119
That is coming.

532
00:27:33.200 --> 00:27:36.480
Next. Time is not something you can slow down, no

533
00:27:36.480 --> 00:27:39.480
matter how much you want to. But you can be president.

534
00:27:39.799 --> 00:27:42.240
You can stop and look around and really take in

535
00:27:42.279 --> 00:27:45.359
the moments that deserve to be taken in. And Tristan's

536
00:27:45.359 --> 00:27:49.200
twentieth birthday was absolutely one of those moments. I looked

537
00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:52.400
around that room multiple times throughout the day, and I

538
00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:55.880
made myself notice it, not just move through it. Notice

539
00:27:55.920 --> 00:28:00.440
it the food, the people, the noise, the warmth, the

540
00:28:00.480 --> 00:28:03.960
storm outside, making the warmth inside feels so much more real,

541
00:28:04.279 --> 00:28:05.359
and I thought, this.

542
00:28:05.440 --> 00:28:07.799
Is going to be a memory. This is going to

543
00:28:07.799 --> 00:28:09.759
be one of those days we talk about.

544
00:28:10.160 --> 00:28:13.319
Remember when we all packed into the house for Tristan's

545
00:28:13.359 --> 00:28:16.480
twentieth birthday and there was a thunderstorm and a snowsquall

546
00:28:16.559 --> 00:28:20.079
at the same time, and we ate seventy four wings

547
00:28:20.079 --> 00:28:22.759
and laughed all day. Yeah, that is going to be

548
00:28:22.799 --> 00:28:25.640
a story, and I am so glad we lived in

549
00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:28.079
I want to spend a few minutes on something that

550
00:28:28.240 --> 00:28:30.759
this day reminded me of something that I think is

551
00:28:30.799 --> 00:28:33.160
worth saying out loud, because I think a lot of

552
00:28:33.240 --> 00:28:35.759
us need to hear it from time to time. Family

553
00:28:35.799 --> 00:28:38.519
does not look like a magazine spread. It does not

554
00:28:38.680 --> 00:28:43.160
look like a perfectly styled gathering with matching table settings

555
00:28:43.279 --> 00:28:46.000
and a menu that took a week to plan and

556
00:28:46.119 --> 00:28:49.920
everyone dressed to match the color scheme. Real family is

557
00:28:50.119 --> 00:28:54.720
messier than that, louder than that, better than that. Real

558
00:28:54.759 --> 00:28:58.240
family looks like seventy four wings on a table that

559
00:28:58.359 --> 00:29:01.880
is already crowded. It looks like brothers giving each other

560
00:29:01.920 --> 00:29:04.440
a hard time from the moment they walk in the door.

561
00:29:04.839 --> 00:29:08.319
It looks like cousins showing up and immediately making everything

562
00:29:08.400 --> 00:29:11.160
louder and faster and more alive. It looks like a

563
00:29:11.200 --> 00:29:14.319
good friend who drives over an hour in the middle

564
00:29:14.400 --> 00:29:17.359
of a thunderstorm because he said he would be there,

565
00:29:17.720 --> 00:29:19.880
and that means he is going to be there. It

566
00:29:19.920 --> 00:29:23.000
looks like Gramma Darlene's mac and cheese on the table.

567
00:29:23.119 --> 00:29:26.440
Because some recipes are too important to save for just

568
00:29:26.599 --> 00:29:30.039
the big holidays. Some recipes need to show up on

569
00:29:30.119 --> 00:29:33.519
a random Saturday afternoon when the people you love are

570
00:29:33.559 --> 00:29:36.680
gathered and the weather is wild and the house is full.

571
00:29:37.000 --> 00:29:40.079
Real family is a house that is not perfectly clean,

572
00:29:40.400 --> 00:29:43.319
and a table that is definitely too full, and a

573
00:29:43.400 --> 00:29:47.480
room that is too loud for polite conversations, but perfect

574
00:29:47.680 --> 00:29:51.359
for the kind of conversations that actually matter. Real family

575
00:29:51.400 --> 00:29:55.079
shows up in the storm with ranch dressing and all

576
00:29:55.119 --> 00:29:58.119
the inside jokes and all the history and all the

577
00:29:58.200 --> 00:30:01.240
love that does not always get set out loud, but

578
00:30:01.359 --> 00:30:02.559
is absolutely there.

579
00:30:02.680 --> 00:30:03.240
You feel it.

580
00:30:03.480 --> 00:30:06.480
And that is what we had on Tristan's twentieth birthday.

581
00:30:06.680 --> 00:30:09.200
We were not trying to be perfect, We were trying

582
00:30:09.200 --> 00:30:13.039
to be present, and being present was way more than enough.

583
00:30:13.279 --> 00:30:14.039
It was everything.

584
00:30:14.319 --> 00:30:18.119
There is something I want to say about the word together, because.

585
00:30:17.759 --> 00:30:20.039
I think it is one of the most important and

586
00:30:20.279 --> 00:30:24.720
underrated words there is. Together does not mean agreeing with everything.

587
00:30:24.920 --> 00:30:29.400
Together does not mean no tension or no friction or

588
00:30:29.680 --> 00:30:33.400
no moments where someone is getting on someone else's last nerve.

589
00:30:33.720 --> 00:30:37.000
Together just means present, Willing to be in the same

590
00:30:37.079 --> 00:30:40.119
place at the same time, committed to the same thing.

591
00:30:40.440 --> 00:30:43.960
Willing to show up even when it's raining outside and

592
00:30:44.000 --> 00:30:46.920
the roads are slick and the weather report is making

593
00:30:46.960 --> 00:30:50.640
you question all of your life decisions. Willing to sit

594
00:30:50.680 --> 00:30:53.319
at a table that has too many elbows on it,

595
00:30:53.759 --> 00:30:57.039
willing to pass the ranch dressing and ask for another wing,

596
00:30:57.400 --> 00:30:59.119
and stay a little longer.

597
00:30:58.720 --> 00:30:59.480
Than you planned.

598
00:31:00.400 --> 00:31:03.480
The conversation is still going and the room still feels right.

599
00:31:03.759 --> 00:31:06.920
That is together, and together is the whole thing. Together

600
00:31:07.079 --> 00:31:10.920
is what we are building every time we gather, every birthday,

601
00:31:11.240 --> 00:31:15.319
every holiday, every random Sunday where someone shows up and

602
00:31:15.440 --> 00:31:18.319
ends up staying for dinner because nobody wanted to leave.

603
00:31:18.400 --> 00:31:21.799
Yet we are building together, one gathering at a time,

604
00:31:22.200 --> 00:31:25.599
one table at a time, one house full of wings

605
00:31:25.599 --> 00:31:28.960
and left and stormy weather at a time. And Tristan's

606
00:31:28.960 --> 00:31:31.920
twentieth birthday was one of the best versions of that

607
00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:35.119
I have ever been part of. Before I close out

608
00:31:35.160 --> 00:31:39.039
this episode, I want to say something directly to Tristan, because.

609
00:31:38.720 --> 00:31:39.680
This is his day.

610
00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:42.680
The whole episode is because of him, and I do

611
00:31:42.759 --> 00:31:45.640
not want to tell his story to everyone else without

612
00:31:45.759 --> 00:31:49.039
also speaking right to him. So, Tristan, twenty years ago,

613
00:31:49.359 --> 00:31:52.559
something changed in our world. You arrived, and you change

614
00:31:52.640 --> 00:31:55.440
things in ways that I did not even fully understand

615
00:31:55.480 --> 00:31:57.799
at the time. You gave us something new to love,

616
00:31:58.160 --> 00:32:01.319
something new to show up for every single year since

617
00:32:01.359 --> 00:32:04.960
that day, you have kept doing that, kept growing into yourself,

618
00:32:05.160 --> 00:32:08.480
kept surprising us, kept showing up in your own, specific,

619
00:32:08.759 --> 00:32:11.279
one of a kind way. And that is not something

620
00:32:11.279 --> 00:32:13.960
that happens on its own. That is something you have

621
00:32:14.039 --> 00:32:16.519
worked at. Maybe you do not even realize you have

622
00:32:16.640 --> 00:32:19.880
worked at it, but becoming yourself takes work. It takes

623
00:32:19.880 --> 00:32:22.880
showing up through the hard stuff. It takes learning from

624
00:32:22.960 --> 00:32:25.680
the moments that did not go the way you want it.

625
00:32:25.680 --> 00:32:30.119
It takes staying curious and staying open and staying connected

626
00:32:30.119 --> 00:32:32.279
to the people who love you, and you have done

627
00:32:32.400 --> 00:32:35.920
all of that. Every person in that room on your

628
00:32:35.960 --> 00:32:39.319
birthday was there because they wanted to be, because they

629
00:32:39.359 --> 00:32:43.200
love you, not because of obligation, not because they were

630
00:32:43.240 --> 00:32:46.960
supposed to be there, but because being in your corner

631
00:32:47.279 --> 00:32:49.880
felt like the right place to be. That is not

632
00:32:49.920 --> 00:32:53.519
something everybody has, and I hope you know that. I

633
00:32:53.559 --> 00:32:56.720
hope you carry that with you. Twenty is a beginning.

634
00:32:57.480 --> 00:32:59.799
There is so much ahead of you, so much you

635
00:32:59.839 --> 00:33:03.240
are going to do and see and build and figure out.

636
00:33:03.559 --> 00:33:06.119
There are going to be days that are hard and

637
00:33:06.240 --> 00:33:09.279
days that are incredible, and a whole lot of regular

638
00:33:09.400 --> 00:33:12.799
days that are the real fabric of a life. And

639
00:33:12.839 --> 00:33:15.240
we are going to be right there hearing you on

640
00:33:15.720 --> 00:33:19.359
Proud of you always, Happy twentieth birthday, Tristan.

641
00:33:19.799 --> 00:33:21.119
We love you more than.

642
00:33:20.960 --> 00:33:24.400
A podcast episode could ever fully say, but we will

643
00:33:24.400 --> 00:33:27.720
try anyway. To everyone listening to we are the Hansens

644
00:33:27.759 --> 00:33:29.359
today from wherever you are.

645
00:33:29.880 --> 00:33:30.240
Thank you.

646
00:33:30.799 --> 00:33:33.440
Thank you for spending time with our family. Thank you

647
00:33:33.519 --> 00:33:36.319
for letting us share the real moments of this life

648
00:33:36.319 --> 00:33:39.960
with you, the messy ones, the full ones, the ones

649
00:33:39.960 --> 00:33:43.079
that do not always look perfect but always feel true.

650
00:33:43.480 --> 00:33:46.480
I started the show because I believe family stories deserve

651
00:33:46.519 --> 00:33:49.480
to be told. I believe the small moments deserve to

652
00:33:49.480 --> 00:33:52.200
be remembered. I believe that when we share the real

653
00:33:52.240 --> 00:33:57.839
parts of our lives with each other. We build something important, connection, recognition,

654
00:33:58.279 --> 00:34:00.839
the knowledge that none of us are doing this alone.

655
00:34:01.160 --> 00:34:05.000
Whether your family looks exactly like ours or completely different.

656
00:34:05.200 --> 00:34:08.920
I hope something in today's episode felt familiar. I hope

657
00:34:08.920 --> 00:34:11.639
it made you think about your own people, your own table,

658
00:34:12.039 --> 00:34:15.480
your own version of seventy four wings and a thunderstorm

659
00:34:15.719 --> 00:34:18.639
and a room full of laughter, because your version of

660
00:34:18.760 --> 00:34:22.719
that exists, or it can. The ingredients are simpler than

661
00:34:22.760 --> 00:34:26.079
you think. Show up for each other, feed each other well,

662
00:34:26.440 --> 00:34:30.119
make space for the noise, and recognize the good days

663
00:34:30.159 --> 00:34:32.559
when you are in them. Do not wait until after

664
00:34:32.599 --> 00:34:36.000
the fact to appreciate them. Look around right now. If

665
00:34:36.000 --> 00:34:38.880
you have people, if you have a table, if you

666
00:34:39.039 --> 00:34:42.639
have someone who's laughter, you would recognize anywhere that is

667
00:34:42.719 --> 00:34:45.639
the good stuff. That has always been the good stuff.

668
00:34:45.760 --> 00:34:47.760
And I think one of the things we lose sight

669
00:34:47.800 --> 00:34:50.599
of in the daily rush of life is just how

670
00:34:50.679 --> 00:34:53.800
much the ordinary good stuff matters. We spend so much

671
00:34:53.840 --> 00:34:57.440
time chasing the big moments, the milestones, the events that

672
00:34:57.480 --> 00:35:00.920
feel significant enough to mark on our calendar, and those matter,

673
00:35:01.199 --> 00:35:04.440
they absolutely matter. But the ordinary good stuff is happening

674
00:35:04.480 --> 00:35:06.840
all around us all the time. It is in the

675
00:35:06.840 --> 00:35:09.320
weekend that gets a little loud. It is in the

676
00:35:09.360 --> 00:35:12.239
recipe you make because it reminds you of someone. It

677
00:35:12.280 --> 00:35:14.559
is in a friend who drives over in a storm

678
00:35:14.679 --> 00:35:17.360
because he said he would. It is in the brothers

679
00:35:17.360 --> 00:35:20.280
who tease each other and love each other and cannot

680
00:35:20.320 --> 00:35:22.719
imagine the world without one another in it. It is

681
00:35:22.719 --> 00:35:25.320
in the cousins who fill a room with energy you

682
00:35:25.400 --> 00:35:28.079
did not even know was missing until they walk through

683
00:35:28.119 --> 00:35:30.400
the door. It is in the birthday person who does

684
00:35:30.440 --> 00:35:33.480
not ask for anything fancy, who just wants his people

685
00:35:33.599 --> 00:35:37.000
and gets them. This is ordinary good stuff, and ordinary

686
00:35:37.000 --> 00:35:39.360
good stuff is actually the best stuff. It is the

687
00:35:39.400 --> 00:35:42.280
stuff that holds a life together. It is the stuff

688
00:35:42.360 --> 00:35:44.880
you think about when the world gets hard. It is

689
00:35:44.920 --> 00:35:47.480
the stuff that pulls you back to yourself when you

690
00:35:47.519 --> 00:35:50.559
feel like you have drifted too far from who you are. So,

691
00:35:50.639 --> 00:35:53.280
whatever your version of this looks like, I hope you

692
00:35:53.320 --> 00:35:55.880
build it. I hope you protect it. I hope you

693
00:35:55.920 --> 00:35:57.960
show up for it, and I hope you tell the

694
00:35:58.000 --> 00:36:01.800
stories because the stories matter. The stories are how we remember.

695
00:36:02.039 --> 00:36:04.960
The stories are how we say this happened and it

696
00:36:05.039 --> 00:36:08.719
was real and it was ours. Tristan's twentieth birthday happened,

697
00:36:08.880 --> 00:36:11.199
it was real, it was ours, and now it is

698
00:36:11.239 --> 00:36:15.360
also yours. A small piece of it carried in this episode,

699
00:36:15.800 --> 00:36:18.519
shared with you because that is what this show is

700
00:36:18.559 --> 00:36:22.199
all about. Hold on to the good days, tell the stories,

701
00:36:22.760 --> 00:36:26.639
love your people out loud. Until next time. This is

702
00:36:26.719 --> 00:36:30.320
Maya Hanson reminding you that the most important story you

703
00:36:30.360 --> 00:36:33.480
will ever tell is the one about the people you love.

704
00:36:33.960 --> 00:36:37.280
We are the Hansens, and we are just getting started