Get Real With Kelly Gaines

Quick stats: Owner of Charlotte Aquatics

Family tree: Lives in south Charlotte with husband, Roger, and 16-year-old daughter, Allie, plus two dogs, two snakes, two fish and a guinea pig

Indulgences: Lounging in my yard next to our waterfall drinking an ice-cold Diet Coke and reading Architectural Digest Magazine

Favorite local eats: New Zealand Café or Thai House

Latest read: “Best of All,” a children’s book about water safety that I have read to more than 4,000 children in the past two months

In your bag: My laptop, files, office supplies and several packets of hot chocolate (best lo-cal chocolate fix)

Can’t live without: My four best girlfriends. We have supported each other through diapers, divorces, deaths and teen driving.

Stress busters: Swimming a few laps in the pool, going for a long walk with the dogs, and sitting on the couch at the end of a long day with my husband, sharing stories and drinking a glass of cabernet.