“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

That's a pretty inspiring quote by Jim Rohn. Think about the 5 people you spend the most time with. Who do I hang out with? At first I started listing off my friends but then I realized I spend most of my time with my family.
#1 My husband John. He's an accomplished career man who loves humanity. He has faith in his fellow man. He is a Rotarian through and through and serves others with his talents and skills. He loves helping youth groups find themselves and be the best they can be. He loves horses and his fellow cowboys. He is a veteran and a cancer survivor. He's determined. He loves deeply.

#2 My youngest daughter Julian. She keeps me on my toes and makes me smile every day. She calls me daily, is a good daughter. She has a ton of energy and quick wit. She's carrying grandchild #8 and will be a fantastic mother! She inspires me.

#3 My daughter Holly. Holly is a good leader. She's a manager at TGIF and is well liked and admired. She's my most artistic child and loves to paint and draw. She looks a lot like me so she gives me lots of sentimental flashbacks. The ones when you think... when I was her age.... She's beautiful and has a quick wit. She makes me laugh. She wants to be the best she can be.

#4 My daughter Angela. Mother to 2 of our grandchildren. She's a great mother and wife. She's the mathematician of the family with a Masters degree in business. She's a logical thinker and knows how to filter through information to make good decisions. Her sisters call her for advice. Although she's well-educated and intelligent, she's lots of fun. Always ready for a good time and a glass of wine.

#5 It took me awhile to really come up with #5. I want to say my 5 horses and 4 dogs... or the ranch... or my art students... or even my art studio... or wine... I think I have to say #5 is a group of people I love to be around. My pals at Oak Mountain Winery in Temecula. There is a group of members who go there almost daily and I get there 2-3 times a week. It's an eclectic group of wine lovers who enjoy socializing. We all accept and love each other. It's a wide variety of people. Men, women, conservative, liberal, gay, straight and many different colors of skin. We laugh, we chat, we hang out with no prejudice. As a "group" we are all very strong and interesting entity. These people inspire me to be the best person I can be. They see me as the "painter" in the group and that makes me smile

So if I'm the average of the 5 people I spend the most time with... I think I'm hanging out with the right people.

Are you?