Happy Memorial Day

To those who serve and those who served before them, Happy Memorial Day! Let me know if I've missed anyone else in the family.


Marty - served in the Navy


Bob - served in the Army


Ara Jr. - served in the Army


Marsh - served in the Army


Ron - served in the Army


Tommy - served in the Army (thanks Sarah for letting me steal this off your facebook ;) )


Grace - just enlisted in the Army - will graduate from Basic on June 9th, 2011 (sorry, the blurry photos is the best one I have!)

Presenting: Archie and Alice: An Illustrated History of the Sergenians and Kaprelians

Archie and Alice by Silva Sergenian | Make Your Own Book

I would like to share with you all the culmination of over a years work on the family history project. I don't even know where to start. This project has been a long time in the making, and even now with the printed book I still don't feel it is entirely "done". Working on this family history project has been an enriching experience, one that has allowed me to learn so much about our family - a family I could not be prouder to be a part of. All of the photos, the documents, and the stories have painted a picture so rich and textured, that I hope I did it even one tenth the justice it deserves. I cannot thank my aunts and uncles enough for what they've contributed to this project, but more so for what they have contributed to make this family what it is. I have a great deal of admiration for each of them - the love and concern that they hold for each other, for all that they have accomplished in their lives, and for the families they have raised.

This project took a tremendous amount of time - something my very patient and loving husband can certainly attest to. But there is one clear point to make - every minute, every hour I put into this project was more than worth it. This project has been it's own reward for me. I am excited to share this book with you! I will mention now that I had to stop somewhere - or else this book might have become a mighty tome. As it is, I am sure I have enough material for a volume two. SO you will see that there are not many photos of the great-grandchildren of Ara and Alice, and there are not many photos of the grandchildren beyond the high school years. Maybe I will make a volume two...or maybe I will continue posting the extra stories, documents and photos here on this blog.

The book has chapters covering the arrival of Alice and Ara's families to the United states, their marriage, their family throughout the years, and a chapter for each of their children and the families they have, with a final chapter about the business.

The book is available for purchase now, but only in the larger size. I would suggest waiting to purchase a book until I can put a slightly revised version up (I have found a typo or two that I would like to correct, and I have gotten a few extra Sergenian's business related items from Tom), and then you will be able to purchase either an 11x13" book for about $120, or an 8x10" book for about $60. I will make an updated post once the book is ready for purchase.

I hope you enjoy!!!

-Silva

Some Intersting Stuff on the Horizon

Just a text post - there are some interesting things coming up on the horizon. We're about a week away from the debut of the family history book - so look back soon for the link to the online preview.

Also, I just received an interesting family treasure via the New York City Municipal Records...so keep on the look out for that too!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Sergenian Mom's out there (and there's a lot of them!!!).

Happy Easter Weekend!

Have a Happy Easter Weekend Everyone!














The Original Layout in the Wisconsin State Journal.

A Little Get Together

Grace and I will be coming to town and will have some time set aside for a little get together a week from today (that's Sunday the 20th) from 1-4pm at the clubhouse at Uncle Marty's apartment complex.

Grace is going to be shipping out for basic training in the Army at the end of March, and wanted to see as much of the family as she could before she goes. So if you are free during that time, we'd both love to see you!

Family Picnic - 1989

Jeff, Bob, Sally, Virginia, Bob


Mina and Sally


Ron, Alice, Sally and Bob


Virginia, Alice, Dawn and ?


? and Dawn


Mariam, Brea, ?, and Dawn. In Back: Tim, Virginia and Mike.


Ron, Marsh and Tim


Kathy, Mina and Jayne


Dave, Julie and Tim


Alice, Sarah and Rachel


Paul, Brian, Dave, Julie and Tim


Remember when we used to make the root beer! That's Bill at the helm.


More root beer making.


And one last root beer photo.

I still have many many more picnic photos from several years! I'll keep posting them occasionally. If anyone can remember what year this was, that would be great!

Sweet Dreams

So it seems that last night the Sergenian clan was busy in the dream world.  I had a brief dream with my dad (few and far between - but always cherished), and told Felipe about it.  He laughed and then told me that he had an interesting dream as well - but it wasn't my dad who made an appearance, he said "I had a dream with your Grandpa"....

Now, I've never met Grandpa, and I have only had one dream in my life that I can remember that he played a major role in.  I was walking with dad and some other family, and there was Grandpa walking in front of me.  In my dream he turned around and smiled, and then waited for me to catch up to him and gave me a big hug.  That was that, the end of the dream.

And now, here is my husband having a dream with him!  I guess I've been working on the family project so much recently, and sharing my progress with Felipe, that now the family is starting to animate in his dreams!  This would not be unusual for me, as I dream often, but he dreams less (or remembers less of the dreams) and so it is quite rare!

I love dreams with family, but I don't read too much into dreams in general, or feel that they hold secrets about what the future will bring, but I do believe they can be meaningful.  I was very close to Grandma, and I remember about a week or two weeks after she passed away I had a dream one night with her in it.  In the dream I was walking in Hilldale (I was there often with her on the weekends) and saw her walking toward me.  And when I say walking toward me, I mean in the older, dressed in a cute little outfit, mall-walking kind of way.  She stopped when she neared me, and being surprised at seeing her I asked "Grandma, how are you doing?" and she all she said (with a smile) was "Great, I'm doing really well."   and then my dream ended.  Now maybe, just two short weeks after her death, that was my own mind telling me she was okay, better even now than before, or maybe...a tiny maybe...it was her telling me the same.

So I will take whatever dreams I get of the family, and I will also enjoy hearing about how the family makes appearances in Felipe's dreams...we'll see, maybe Grandpa will appear again...

Have any of you ever had an interesting or meaningful dream with a family member like that?

Quote of the Day

"Well, you’ve got to ask my mother and grandma. I just grew up with it. As a matter of fact my yearbook says “Peewee the rug man” (laughs)"

Marsh

On how he got his nickname Peewee.

Sergenian Family Picnic - Past Photos 1970