Loving February

By Molly Harrison | Monday, February 1, 2010
Lovin' Lattes

No more Feb. dread. I've long had a love/hate with Feb., but I'm staying positive this year, focusing on loving this underdog month. Here's my plan ...

Thanks to the buddy system, continuing my 6 a.m. runs in the cold, windy dark three times a week * Skinny chai lattes from Front Porch and Morning View * Yoga - it's everywhere, y'all - I just sat here and counted up 20 active teachers on the Outer Banks, and I'm sure I missed one or two * Maybe a little more red wine from Chip's than I would normally drink * A few good dinners out, thinking Ortega'z in Manteo at least once * Walks in Nags Head Woods with my friends and lots of kids * Getting out there and doing some of this:

I'm not a late-night kind of gal anymore, so I'm glad that the Hellzapoppin' Sideshow Revue at the Outer Banks Brewing Station has an early show at 9:30. You cooler people can go for the midnight show. They're touting sword swallowers, acrobats, burlesque dancers and circus performers, and they're going to do all that in the Brewing Station on Saturday night Feb. 6. * I want to see the Rajun Cajuns at Ocean Boulevard on Friday night. I missed the January show at OB and I heard it was so much fun * Can she make it out two nights in a row? I'll let you know next week ...

This sounds yummy: Outer Banks Epicurean is teaching an Asian cooking class at Tommy's Bagels to Beef Cafe in Southern Shores on Thursday, Feb. 4 at 6 p.m.- Pad Thai, spring rolls, fish cakes and coconut rice is on the menu ...

Piquing my interest is All Saints Episcopal Church's series of classes called After Dark at All Saints from Feb. 1-11. Church members are teaching like 35 two-hour classes on such random topics as Seashell Trees, Beginning Bridge, The Devil, Bread Baking, Growing Daylilies, Wines of France, Intro to Sailing, Shag Dancing, Lasagna University, Ways to Be Happy, Ukranian Easter Eggs, Home Repairs, Balloon Sculpting * My 5-year-old son and I are considering the Basics of Bee Keeping and Juggling and hope we haven't waited too late to register. Proceeds go to local outreach programs. Call 261-6674 ...

Every local should take advantage of crowd-free conditions and be a tourist for a day * The Whalehead Club has its Moonlight Legend, Lore and Ghost Tour on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. * Be sure to go see the Bodie Island Lighthouse while it's all decked out in its finery of scaffolding * Go to Pea Island to see the tundra swans * Take some kids to a program at the North Carolina Aquarium, the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education or Jockey's Ridge State Park ...

It doesn't happen until next week but I'm going to go ahead and get my tickets this week for The Vagina Monologues that's running on Feb. 8, 9 and 10 at Outer Banks Brewing Station. Great cast of locals this year - including several men, so that should make it interesting. Tickets are available at Outer Banks Brewing Station, The Sun Shack, Morning View Coffee and The Urban Cottage ...

I'm also going to register for something really cool called Squam by the Sea. It's a creativity/yoga retreat that Michelle Smith of Outer Banks Yoga is helping organize and teach - a way to loosen up and unleash your creative beast. It's not until October, but I'm getting in early. My creative beast is looking forward to the fresh air * Google Squam by the Sea. It's there ...

Gotta go, but I'll be back next Monday with more snippets and events from the Outer Banks. Check my Top Picks for Outer Banks by Day and Outer Banks by Night. And if you've got a business or organization that wants to get the word out about something - a sale, a special, an event or a fund-raiser - click on Get Involved just on the right column of this page ...

Or put your 2 cents in. If you'd like to contribute or add your voice to this blog, you can do that below. Keep in mind that the blog comments are moderated so that this site is only putting positive vibes into cyberspace ...

About the Author Molly Harrison
Molly Harrison is managing editor at OneBoat, publisher of OuterBanksThisWeek.com. She moved to Nags Head in 1994 and since then has made her living writing articles and creating publications about the people, places and culture of the Outer Banks.