Illustrator :: Brush Keep Resetting To Calligraphic When Trying To Use Variable Width Profile?

I'm working on a reflective drawing and using gradients on strokes.  I've been using pressure sensitive calligraphic brushes I made.  Now I'm trying to use variable width preset profile brushes.  It works fine for the first stroke, but every time I make a new stroke, it reverts back to a calligraphic pressure brush.  How can I keep my brushes the same profile until I manually select it to be different? I've gone back and forth between the brush tool and pencil tool and neither will keep any basic variable width profile past the first stroke. I have to select every brush stroke and change it again and again after drawing it.