blooming with Brooke

My maiden name is Riley, and that really means something to me. I have found myself sharing my incredible love for my family more and more with my husband these days. It just overflows from me, and I cannot stop from sharing. I thought instead of weighing Austin down with more stories, I would share on here today. Perfect timing too with Mother’s Day being this weekend!

From a very young age, I have been incredibly proud of my family. I adore the people that I’m blessed to call “mom” and “dad.” I recognize that for many, this is not a common experience. However, my parents have always been my best friends and favorite humans and the safest place in the world for me.

When I was little, my grandma who lived next door was able to watch me throughout the days because both my mom and dad had to work every single day. I have so many good memories with her. We baked, watched TV, painted our nails, played dress-up, went for walks, and a plethora of other fun activities. It was a blast. However, I remember that I was always ready for 3:00 p.m. to hit. No matter how much fun I had with grandma that day, I was ready to see my mom and dad. I wanted to recap my day to them and tell them all about my adventures.

From preschool throughout my senior year, I attended a private Christian school where my tuition was largely taken care of by a very generous donor because there is not a world where my parents could have swung it on my dad’s pastoral salary. But because I was attending a private Christian high school, my class was largely made up of wealthier people than me. This was of course challenging at times, but nonetheless I still made some very good friends. Two of them are still my besties to this day!

In high school, a few of my friends always wanted to come over to my house because they, and I quote, “love talking to Rick and Christal!” It was a well-known fact that if you came over to Brooke Riley’s house, you were getting free counseling & a yap session because my parents always made such a point to be involved in not only my life, but also my friends’ lives. They would come over, and my mom would cook dinner for everyone. Then, after dinner we’d slowly all progress into the living room and fill the couches and floor with kids that just needed to talk. I don’t know who loved it more, my dad or my friends! To this day, my friends will say “I want to go over and sit on the floor in your parents’ living room and talk!” We all loved it. My mom always struggled with why my wealthier friends wanted to come over and sit on their floor. Why wouldn’t they want to stay at someone else’s nicer, bigger house? I always told her…it’s because of YOU & DAD, mom! They have such a warm and welcoming knack that is truly unmatched. I’ve never felt so welcomed and loved in anyone else’s home. You walk into their living room, and you are family.

When I got married, my husband and I went on a week long honeymoon before returning home to our cozy, little home. We were so excited on our way home…to just be HOME together in OUR new house! What an exciting time. I remember being so excited to sleep in OUR bed together for the first time. However, when we got to OUR home, my brain quickly realized that my parents weren’t going to be there. There wasn’t going to be a supportive team of my favorite humans asking me all about the honeymoon, how our trip was, where did we eat, and what activities did we do. No one to debrief with! This was the first time in my life that I came “home,” without my parents being there. So, to be honest with you, I did cry every single night for approximately the first 3 nights in our new house. My poor husband. I remember on night 1, he rolled over and rubbed my back while I was sobbing, and he so lovingly said, “do you want to see if you can stay the night at your mom and dad’s?” Oh my. But I stayed! I decided to power through and be an adult, and now of course…I’m glad I did! But my how I missed them! To be honest with you, there are still so many times I pull in my driveway and feel a little sad that I won’t be able to walk in their back door and sit on their couch and yap about my day like I had done every single day for 21 years prior.

Moms & dads, Never underestimate the value of talking with your children. Nothing beats sitting down with mom and dad and chatting about school, work, what you had for lunch today, a nice comment someone made to you, something hard you’re walking through, your favorite color, and literally ANYTHING else. Just talk to them! I promise you that your chats will stick with them forever.

While I love both of my parents dearly, this is Mother’s Day weekend, so I want to turn a special spotlight on my sweet momma. I have always adored my mom and looked up to her so much. This feels even more true now that my husband and I are expecting our own bundle of joy in the next few months. I think back on the relationship that she cultivated with me from the time I was just a baby until now. I hope I am able to achieve the same closeness with my daughter. My mom is my very best friend. I will always choose to go out to lunch with her before anyone else. She feels like the safest place in the world to me. She has always been my own personal prayer warrior, my own personal counselor, my own personal fashion advice giver, and truly the keeper of all my secrets. She knows it all, like literally, she’s probably tired of all my over-sharing! She is always there for me in a way that I don’t have with anyone else. She has been so incredibly kind and supportive throughout my pregnancy. Cooking has been really difficult for me, and she either has Austin and I down for a meal at least once a week, or she has dinner made for me to pick-up after work. She also makes yummy foods that I’m craving for my lunches and seems to always have whatever medicine I need on hand! Last week she even bought me a new pair of pants. I don’t understand how she can literally do it all? I am so impressed, and I just hope I will be able to do it all one day. She has set that bar pretty HIGH though, so good luck to me.

My maiden name is Riley, and that really means something to me.