My favorite day in February is without doubt February 14, Valentine’s Day.  I already have plans in mind for this special occasion.  I’m going to cook my husband and daughter a special dinner to celebrate not just how much I love them as amazing individuals, but us being a close, loving family.  I’ve already had requests for a traditional English dinner of roast beef and Yorkshire puddings, and I’m happy to cater to this request, since it’s one of my favorite meals, too.

Speaking of favorites, I realized the other day that this February 14 will be the 17^th one my husband and I are celebrating as a married couple.  That’s pretty romantic, to me.  One of my all-time-favorite memories of us as a couple is of our honeymoon in Oxfordshire, England.

My husband and I married in Canada, where I grew up.  However, since my husband and I had met in England while I was studying in London and living with relatives, and we both had friends and family who couldn’t attend the Canadian ceremony, we decided to have a second reception in England.

I knew he and I were going to honeymoon for a few days somewhere before this celebration, but my husband stubbornly refused to say where.  Of course, I did my best to persuade him to tell me, but he just grinned and refused to give any clues.  The suspense was both thrilling and a little unnerving.  After we flew to the UK, he rented a car and off we went, me still unaware of our final destination.

Well, it was definitely worth the wait.  I was more than thrilled when we ended up at the beautiful Weston Manor Hotel, an exquisite building with old wooden panels and creaky floors that dates back to the 11^th century.  My husband, knowing how much I love history, historic sites, and antiques, thought this would be the perfect getaway.  He was right!  The lovely gardens were the perfect setting for walks in the morning sunshine.  Our room had a huge claw-footed tub, perfect for bubble baths and relaxing with a glass of wine and a book.  And our honeymoon package included delicious gourmet dinners every night.  Fabulous!  The stay was perfect in every way, and made me appreciate all the more what a wonderful man I’d married.  The kind of guy who’d make a pretty darned good story hero.

Is it any wonder I write romance? 

What about you?  Do you have a romantic memory you’d like to share?

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Meet Catherine at the Valentine’s book signing on Saturday, February 13, from 2-4 p.m. at Borders, 600 N. Orlando Avenue in Winter Park, Florida.  She’ll be autographing copies of her medieval historical romances for reader fans, including her latest release, A Knight’s Temptation, Book 3 of her Knight’s Series.  Please stop by for yummy chocolate, free bookmarks, and other goodies.  For more information on Catherine’s books and her upcoming novels, visit her website.