Your next film screening option this Wednesday will take us on a journey from the swamps of Louisiana to the slums of Kolkata, from the beaches of Brazil to the villages of Okinawa in search of what really makes people happy. Happy is about just that, and through the combined real life stories of people from around the world and powerful interviews with the leading cutting-edge scientists in happiness research (the new field of positive psychology), the film explores the secrets behind our most valued emotion. In the end you may learn how you can make the world a happier place. Happy is produced by Academy Award nominee Roko Belic and will be screened at Center of the Heart on 487 North Turnpike Road, Goleta. The cost is $7-10 and ages 4 and older are permitted to view this film. For more information, call 805.762.4848 or click here.

This beautiful production is an enthralling combination of vibrant vistas, dynamic choreography, and fluid and flowery costumes. Inspired by Frances Hodgson Burnett’s famous novel, the creative and ingenuous staging transforms the classic story into a contemporary ballet for all ages. It is a tale of not only the restoration of a garden but a renewal of the spirit. Audiences will be entranced by this masterpiece of imagination that warms hearts with a thoughtful telling of a story about loss, dreams, hope and the search for happiness that transcends boundaries and generations. Don’t miss out on this exceptional theatrical and lyrical experience that will leave you and your family with smiles of satisfaction on viewing true beauty and skill that reaches out and expresses what can’t be said. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

Do you love someone who loves being active and adventurous near your Santa Barbara home? If you still want to do something big for your sweetheart in addition to the simple celebrations this Valentine's Day season, you should look into getting her or him a Santa Barbara Adventure Co. Gift Certificate. Perfect for the fun-loving, active people in your life, a gift certificate in almost any amount will thrill them whether you decide to go on a kayak expedition, wine tour, hike, rock-climb, paragliding adventure or any other of the amazing adventures they provide, live in Santa Barbara.

Not only will your gift bring excitement to your lives but it will give you a chance to spend quality time in nature enjoying your wholesome activity together. The Santa Barbara Adventure Co. offers coastal kayaking, channel island kayaking tours, wine tours, surf lessons, stand up paddle board lessons, bike tours, rock climbing, horseback riding, high ropes, paragliding, day hikes and other thrills to enjoy with your family and friends. One of the newest excursions available features a sweet treat for your sweetheart. The Cupcake and Wine Tour features wine infused cupcakes and local wines. If you love fine food, this is the adventure for you! To purchase gift certificates, click here.

Art From Scrap is a community organization that operates near your Santa Barbara home, promoting a greater understanding of environmental issues and encouraging creative expression in the arts. This Saturday, February 11th, you can join in on the weekly art workshop for children and adults who love to create art from scrap! Guest Artist Judy Nilsen will be helping each participant to design and create their own beautiful heart mobiles just in time for Valentine's Day! This workshop is just one of many services that Art From Scrap provides to the community. Art From Scrap provides a Green Schools environmental education program, the Arts Center, and a Reuse retail store, all near your home in Santa Barbara.

Green Schools students learn the waste reduction methods of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Compost, pollution prevention actions to improve creek and ocean water quality, and contribute to a sustainable community through organic gardening and service learning projects. Art from Scrap also hosts hands-on art activities like the Heart Mobiles Workshop and shows at the AFS Gallery, encouraging the innate creativity of thousands of people each year and proving that each one of us is an artist. The Heart Mobiles Art Workshop will be held at 302 East Cota Street, Santa Barbara, 93101. Children under age 5 must be accompanied by an adult. The cost for this workshop is $8.00. For more information, click here.

This year’s Science PlayLab explores movement through natural air, water, and land experiments. Through each of the interactive stations, both children and adults can observe, investigate, experiment, predict, invent, and imagine. Some of the stations are a creek table exhibiting the flow of water around rocks, the Sailboat Table to practice sailing skills across the wind, an air field to keep as many balls as possible in the air, an earthquake table to design structures that survive quakes, the Long Jump Mural to compare your jumping skills with other animals, and much more. For more information on this exhibit, click here.

Moms in Motion meets 3 times per week for running, walking and core workouts after the children have been dropped off at school. The team workouts are scheduled for Mondays at 5:30pm at the SMHS Track, and Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9am to 10am at park locations. Members of the team are encouraged to target one or more specific and established events to focus on as their “carrot” and motivational goal throughout the season. This is a great cause to invest in, not only because you’ll be doing something great for yourself and your family but also 10% of the training fee will be donated to your school of choice. This program began on January 23rd and will continue through April 12th, 2012. For more information and to register, visit www.momsinmotion.com.

It’s the perfect chance to learn vital life skills to help you perform at you finest capable level and enjoy it too. This takes knowledge and work. When we feel physically, mentally and emotionally fit we communicate at peak levels of performance but when we feel overwhelmed, lack energy, lose sleep or have physical complaints, our focus wanes and we lose our ability to communicate effectively and therefore live successfully. Come find out how to stay physically, mentally and emotionally fit to maintain balance and enhance your satisfaction in success. This special lecture/discussion will take place at the Canary Hotel, located at 31 W. Carrillo Street in Santa Barbara. The cost ranges from $10 to $35. Ages 12 and up are invited to attend.

Butterflies or Flutter-by's are some of nature's most beautiful creatures and they deserve a look at by residents who live in Santa Barbara and enjoy them more than most climates of the earth. It may technically still be winter, but butterfly season is under way near your Santa Barbara home. The Ellwood Monarch Grove has a winter Monarch Butterfly harvest of astounding proportions and you and your family and friends are invited to enjoy the amazing clusters of butterflies during a special event sponsored by the Santa Barbara Museum of natural History.

This Sunday, January 29, enjoy a workshop/outing with the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History where you will explore the world of butterflies. You can experience a variety of fascinating hands-on experiments including planting the beginnings of your very own butterfly garden! You'll learn cool facts about local butterfly species, and also create butterfly wings. Then the whole group will carpool over to Ellwood Monarch Grove to witness butterflies in their habitat, thriving in the Santa Barbara mild weather. Children and adults are all welcome to this event. The cost is $20 for members and $25 for non-members. The hour of this event is TBA. For more information, click here or call 805.682.4711.

As the Film Festival exudes excitement so contagious it reaches local establishments where film lovers, foodies and friends alike are invited to savor the best of Santa Barbara's restaurants between viewings of big screen action. In fact this event even brings those who do not live in Santa Barbara to visit! As if stars, stunning imagery and sensational scripts weren't enough to thrill guests, the red carpet is also being rolled out for the Film Feast, a special tasting-menu program that also coincides with California Restaurant Month, and accompanies the 27th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival, live in Santa Barbara, January 26th through February 5th, 2012. While the SBIFF brings lights, cameras and action to the American Riviera, Santa Barbara restaurants, bars and tasting rooms are also filled with excitement. As star-studded as the festival is, nothing can satisfy like a stellar cast of restaurants, etc. to cater to taste buds and appetites. Enjoy three-course tasting menus that spotlight local cuisine, cocktails and wines and beers, some even dramatizing their menus with classic and contemporary movie-themes. With over 50 Film Feast participating restaurants, it's easy to take a tasting tour of Santa Barbara while here for the Film Festival. For more information, click here.

Your ticket to gorgeous scenery and adventuresome observation of marine life, each cruise takes place aboard the Santa Barbara Sailing Center's 50-foot Sailing catamaran, the Double Dolphin.  You and your family and friends will experience world-class sailing aboard the Double Dolphin, venturing up and down the American Riviera looking for whales, dolphins, sea lions and other enchanting marine creatures. Be sure to bring a camera to capture the magnificent sights!

Other services offered at the SBSC are sailing lessons, sailboat chartering, power boat rentals, kayak rentals, and one-of-a-kind liveaboard instructional vacations to the world-famous Channel Islands. If fun, life enrichment, exercise and adventure are your goals, you can't go wrong with the SBSC. Gift certificates and many event packages are also available to share the fun with everyone. Tickets for cruises aboard the Double Dolphin are $25. College student discounted tickets are only $10. For more information including pricing for other services, click here.