i'd like to introduce you to our friend Meemo, the traveling cat. 
meemo started out as just a regular cat - a gift to princess from nana. he was a cute cat and a good friend. when my sister went on a study abroad during college we decided to send meemo with her. he proved to be an excellent traveling companion. nice and small, squishy (fits in small pockets) and didn't complain much. also - he wasn't played with so much that princess missed him immediately (a must for summer-long trips). when he was eventually discovered missing we also discovered a note from him - explaining that he'd hopped in kari's backpack and was off to see the world - but would be back soon. kari took him on a tour of asia, australia, and new zealand. he sent us postcards and even opened his own email address so we'd hear from him that way as well. meanwhile, i made sure i knew where i could find a replacement meemo, just in case...
the next summer meemo traveled with my brother and his wife all over europe. and this summer he got to go on an african safari with a friend. we have been lucky to know people willing to take him. we get copies of all the pictures of meemo. some of my favorites include: meemo on the little mermaid stature in copenhagen, meemo on an altar in thailand, meemo watching the changing of the guards in london, and of course: meemo in a hobbit hole in new zealand.
meemo has traveled by bus, train, plane, tram, and elephant. he has visited 5 continents - and my dad is thinking about how to get him to antarctica for us!
our children love looking at pictures of meemo. a picture of a statue of braveheart isn't all that interesting to a small child - but put their little cat on it's foot and they love it - it really personalizes the trip for them. we trace his travels on maps and globes, and when we study geography or history we come across places that meemo has already been - and out comes his album again.
(Updated: Meemo went to Hawaii!)
