My video of the Eiffel Tower twinkling at night

I’m so excited to share this video from my 2012 vacation in Paris. This post is about sharing memories  — and my thrill in learning how to make videos of them on Final Cut Pro X!

This time last year, my daughter Gabi and I were getting ready for a 10-day trip to Paris. We went with Judy, her godmother, who is my dear childhood friend. It was the most, most fabulous adventure ever. Renting a nice apartment in Le Marais had us in a great section of the city filled with restaurants, groceries and boutiques. We lived on $38 per person a day, which was quite an accomplishment.

Our vacation included a wonderful cruise on the Seine. We knew it would give us a view of the Eiffel Tower. What none of us realized was that this landmark lights up at night — and twinkles. The whole experience was such a delight.

Now we can share it with you in this YouTube video that I just made:

I did it! What fun to edit the raw footage, add the music, the dissolves, the openers and closers, the sound of splashing waves, the thunderclap when my blog url pops up…yay!

But I’m also smiling because this clip launches me on a new journey. I’ve always wanted professional video-making skills. It’s taken me so long to fulfill this dream that the software program of choice is no longer Final Cut Pro; in 2011, an upgraded version was released called Final Cut Pro X.

So now I’m taking weekly lessons to polish my skills at a bargain price. The secret, as usual, is the Apple Store’s $99-a-year One-to-One program. O2O allows me to take a private, one-hour lesson every week as well as group workshop sessions. Here’s my post on how it works. Definitely a good deal. And remember, you can only sign up for it when you buy a Mac computer at an Apple Store.

As for the Paris trip, I wrote a bunch of posts that are among the most popular entries on this blog. You can peruse the titles here. They’re filled with photos, travel suggestions, fun moments — plus my hysteria when I wuz robbed in a Metro station. :0

And before I go…if you get anything from me today, it’s the message that vacations keep us sane. Just planning one will already change the way we go through our daily routines. I can’t afford a big, fancy trip this year but there will be a weekend in Mohonk and several weekend art workshops. Just knowing they are on my calendar keeps me smiling inside. Here’s a link to the post where my shrink explains how this vacation-planning process works.

If you’ve got some dreams or vacation ideas percolating, please feel free to share/brainstorm those plans with us. Spring arrives this week, and it’s a reminder. Here’s our chance to plant seeds, blossom and grow. xo.

P.S. — A special thanks to Gabi and Judy! We were all taking pictures and video during the cruise, which were dumped into my personal files. This video is our collaboration.  :)