Fires with Rilo

"If there was one thing Riley loved more than anything, it was fire. When we were growing up Riley wanted a fire pit in our back yard SO BAD. For years mom and dad just never bought a fire pit or had one built in the back yard like Riley begged. He talked about it all the time. One afternoon in the summer when we were in middle school we had the best idea ever!

Riley and I created a plan. We knew that mom and dad were never going to get a fire pit and we had to take things into our own hands. We knew that if we used shovels and dug out a big circle in the grass. We knew that if the grass was dug up, no matter how mad our parents were, they had to let us keep it since the back yard would look pretty dumb with just a huge dirt circle in the middle of the pristine back yard grass.

We spent the whole afternoon going around the neighborhood finding big rocks and stones in order to line the fire pit. We found tons of rocks and made it look great! Mom and dad walked in the back yard and almost killed us when they realized a huge patch of grass in the back yard was missing.

For years and years, we used that fire pit as a family. Every week we spent nights out there with friends and family listening to country music and telling stories. I think all four of us eventually agreed that it was one of the best decisions Riley and I had ever made! Looking back, I am so grateful we have those memories!"

-Burke Estes