12861 reads
Posted by Jessica on Apr 30, 2005
Cheesesteaks and Ketchup

I want to share with you an excerpt taken (with permission, of course) from Tim's personal online journal written in 2003:

One of the first things Jessica and I had "bonded" over, of course, was our love of ketchup. We'd both spent our lives being mocked by friends and family for how much ketchup we used, and for both of us, a meal from McDonald's was just ruined if they were out of ketchup. During one such visit the day after our first kiss, McDonald's was decidely out of ketchup. We immediately decided to run across to a nearby convenience store, to buy a bottle of ketchup before we grabbed our McDonald's, and then we went back home. I remember so clearly walking down bustling South Street with her, I remember walking into that store, just feeling on top of the world, I remember thinking "this is one of those silly little moments I'll be remembering the rest of my life. And the best part is, I'm aware of that now, I see that now, while it's still only just happening.

In my online journal, a mid-April entry contained the following sentence: "Bought cheesesteaks from a roach coach and ate them under a tree in a park." That was another of those moments. We were sitting under a tree in a park in the middle of the city, eating our Philly CheeseSteaks (with copious amounts of ketchup), and I found myself doing it again. "I'm so happy right now," I thought. "This is another thing I'll always remember, this moment right here." I told her what I was thinking, and we talked for a while about how we both do that a lot, identify some event as a happy memory of us together we'll be looking back on for years. "Like this," she said. "Years from now, you could say 'cheesesteaks and ketchup' to me, and I'll immediately remember this moment, how happy I am, how wonderful everything is." "Cheesesteaks and ketchup," I murmured, and another term was added to our little private vocabulary: whenever either of us says "cheesesteaks and ketchup" to the other, it means "this is a moment I'll be happily remembering for years to come."

For the past three days, Tim and I have diligently uploaded, sorted, and captioned 738 photos for the Photo Gallery. And these photos cover everything from the last few months prior to our departure up to our stay in El Bolsón, Argentina. (We stopped in Mendoza after El Bolsón and are currently in Buenos Aires again, but we're going to make you wait for those photos.)

I would go so far to say that every single one of these photos (as well as the other 2,500 we took but did not put on the website) are cheesesteaks-and-ketchup moments.

They mean that much to me, every single one of them.

You see, these photos capture our dream of traveling the world together. And for that, they are absolutely priceless.

So, go! Go now and look at our Photo Gallery! And then come back here and tell us what you think.

If you enjoyed this story, you might also like these ones:

Remembering

Remembering

First-class Seats in a Submarine

First-class Seats in a Submarine

Twelve of my Favorite Photos

Twelve of my Favorite Photos

Noah
April 30, 2005 at 10:19pm
The photos are lovely. But where are the busty South American women showing cleavage? Nursing babies? Dancing topless in clubs? I ask not for my own prurient interest, but rather for the sake of your dedicated fan base.

I'm so glad you guys are having so many cheesesteak and ketchup moments!

daddy
April 30, 2005 at 10:44pm
number 2 well thats better love meow woof chirp and binkies love always but back to your photos
Sister Soldier (The Post Hog)
May 1, 2005 at 12:36am
I have stayed up until nearly one o'clock in the morning looking over 738 stunning photos that made me laugh, cry, and gasp in amazement. You two truly are artists in your own right. I will admit though that I was a bit embarrassed about the photo of me in my purple nightgown and Santa hat, but now I find it kid of cute. Do you think it will help me in terms of FINALLY finding a girlfriend?

Moving right along… I looked at the photo of Cerro Piltriquitron and still can't pronounce it correctly! Does that mean I have to stay up all night and look at it? Just wondering…

OK enough post hogging! You both know that I miss you VERY much and that I can't wait to see you again. Take care of yourselves, keep writing, keep taking photos, and know that you're constantly in my thoughts/prayers.

*Hugs, Peace, and Love to everyone out there!*

~~~~The Post Hog

Sister Soldier (The Post Hog)
May 1, 2005 at 12:38am
Oh I almost forgot… I LOVE the photo of the busty lady! Ruben-esque women rule!
Philsie
May 1, 2005 at 11:01am
Photos are "O" for Awesome…
Shana
May 1, 2005 at 7:35pm
Wow. Words can't cover it… amazing. The experiences you're having, the pictures you're taking, animals and people you're meeting… and the incredibly beautiful and moving way you're documenting it, and sharing it. Such deep, lasting soul prickles. I can tell, it is clear, how much it all means to both of you, the "cheesesteaks and ketchup" experiences you're having. So moving.

Love! to both of you.

heather
May 3, 2005 at 7:27am
The tango photos are hot!
Keep up the great work.
Philsie
May 4, 2005 at 7:01am
I am so Hung over today I think I am going to die
Philsie
May 4, 2005 at 7:02am
Scratch My Nose
amy
May 4, 2005 at 11:42pm
do you have a red pen with you on this trip?
Janet
May 7, 2005 at 9:06am
Vini, Vici, the pictures are breathtaking.
MoonUnit_Polka
May 16, 2005 at 11:13am
These are absolutely fantastic. I've still got several pictures to go through(/several hours of company time to devote to vicarious traveling, *cough*), but what I've seen so far…wow.

While not generally a fan of ketchup, your private joke is wicked-cute. :)


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