Family Stories

Hello there! Blogging this week is Brooke’s biggest fan, her older but shorter sister, Sierra Wallace. I am here to give you some behind the Queen details and stories from when we were growing up.
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I will start with one of the first times Brooke was ever on a horse. She was so content that she fell asleep! Much to my Dad’s dismay the silly horse shook and little Brooke went tumbling off. The only reason she cried is because she wanted back on the horse! We kept it a secret from our mom for months because we were afraid she wouldn’t let us ride.

Growing up there wasn’t a horse toy that we didn’t have. We had horses for our Barbies, our Polly Pockets, My Little Pony horses, and more! Guess what? They all had barns and tack too. I fondly remember Brooke and me divvying up the dolls and their horses to set up massive ranches all over our living room and playing for hours and hours. We each had our favorites and made sure to pick them before the other could.

We also pretended to be horses ourselves. At the fairgrounds in Abilene (the stalls were a perfect spot) or at our house we would both be horses or pretend to train the other. Our gaits were perfected in no time, unless it was a day we were wild mustangs. We even had a sheep, Lambert, who we would show in the yard, pretending that he was a pony. Of course, our friends got roped into playing horse as well. They were always down to horse around with us.

We didn’t just play horse, we rode our horses as much as our parents would let us. Riding horses was an activity that we mainly did with our Dad but our Mom always cheered us on. We grew up riding down the dirt roads around our house and in our arena when it wasn’t too muddy. Riding down the roads provided us with ample opportunities to have trotting races. No cantering was allowed. We also loved trail riding. Brooke is one of the youngest riders to have been on a trail ride at the Maxwell Game Preserve. She took the record away from me!

Living with Brooke was never dull. We never knew what idea she would come up with and want to try next. She once told our Dad there were nights that it was hard for her to fall asleep because there were so many ideas popping around in her head. From a Mountain Dew can dress to a prom dress out of duct tape, her ideas and dreams were always big. She has always reached for the stars in every activity to include volleyball, basketball, track, and FCCLA. She lettered multiple years in each sport, was a three time National gold medalist in FCCLA, and graduated co-valedictorian.

Brooke excelled in horse shows as well. We rode English, Western, ran barrels and other fun races. I can’t even count the awards and buckles my little sister has earned. She never let being the youngest in her age group or being in the same age group as her sister get in the way. Brooke has been the High Point Award winner in every age group to date (sometimes multiple years). This is a feat that we think no one else has accomplished! She has always worked to be the best that she can be.

Throughout her life and with her all her queen titles, I have been so proud of Brooke. However nothing can beat the way I felt the day she was crowned Miss Rodeo USA. As we awaited the results, even my Dad, who is normally cool, calm, and collected, had a sense of anxiousness to him. I was shaking with excitement as each category was called out. After I heard that Brooke had swept the pageant, I knew that she just had to be the winner. I screamed with joy as the announcer called her name and maybe even shed a few proud big sister tears. I am so blessed that Brooke is my sister and my best friend!
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There are so many memories I wish I could share with all of you but I think that I will end with some random facts that you may not know about Miss Rodeo USA.

Fun Facts about Brooke:

1. Brooke had so much hair when she was born we called her Fuzzy Wuzzy. Now we just call her Stinky because she’s always up to something.
2. She wanted to change her name to Katie. We still find random papers with Katie Wallace written on them from her younger years.
3. Her other nicknames include B-Dubs and Brookie.
4. She hates chickens with a passion. This all stems from a little Banty rooster we had that loved to chase you, jump on your back, and peck you. Can you blame her?
5. Her horses Blondie and Mocha are a mother/daughter pair. You wouldn’t guess it from their colors though!
6. She’s always been accident prone. She broke her wrist playing basketball.
7. Living on the farm, we have had all your typical animals except for a dog or goats. We even raised a bottle calf named Teddy Gramps, who sucked on his tail.
8. Brooke can sleep through anything. We had bunk beds when we were little. One night we heard a THUNK and Brooke had rolled down the ladder from the top bunk and slept through the whole thing!
9. Brooke is super competitive when it comes to board games. Her favorite is Blokus. There are people in our family that won’t play her anymore because she always beats them.
10. When Brooke was five we went on cruise and she lost her first tooth! The tooth fairy found us even in the middle of the ocean.