Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Big things happening for the Harris family!

This last week has been really great! We got some big news and have made some big plans! Monday Mitchell accepted a great job with a company called Epic Systems in Madison, Wisconsin! It is a company that designs software for medical records. They mostly target large hospitals and their programs include software for patient records, billing, and procedures. Mitchell will be a software developer, writing and improving some of their program features.

This is an aerial view of the Epic Campus in Verona, WI. It is a large company with over 3,000 employees and I think it kind of looks like a college campus. Mitchell said most of the employees are in their 20's too so we should fit right in.


We got to visit Madison about 3 weeks ago and we really liked the community. It is a small city, despite being the capitol of the state. Many of the suburbs are fairly new with lots of families. Mitchell was really impressed with the company and they have treated us really well so far!

Originally we thought about moving out there and starting at Epic by June 1st. However, we thought better of it and decided to take advantage of our last bit of freedom before entering the world of 40 hours a week by taking a trip to Europe! We plan to stay the majority of the time in Germany with Mitchell's sister Claire and her family. We are also planning a couple of side trips to Paris and some World War II sights! This is really exciting!



Side note to the little girl who is STILL occupying my womb: Hello darling daughter, this is your mommy. Mommy and Daddy have been waiting a long time to meet you and we are getting really eager. Your grandma and aunts have been asking to see you and even your great grandmas are calling me wondering if you are ever going to decide to join our family. It would be really great if you would make an appearance sometime soon! In fact, the sooner the better because we are going to take you on an exciting trip! However, I will have to get your passport on a rush order so really, the sooner you could make your way into this world the better. We have lots of blankets and cute clothes for you so don't worry about being cold or exposed. We will be sure to feed you delicious milk and give you lots of kisses! Just come meet us! Soon!

In addition to accepting the job with Epic Systems and relocating to Madison, Wisconsin, Mitchell is putting the finishing touches on his Master's project and thesis! He is on track to submit his thesis to his committee by the end of the month and defend his Master's when we get back from Europe! We have lots of exciting events coming up!

Any tips on what to see and where to go in Germany or France? How about tips on traveling with a newborn?

6 comments:

Linda said...

How exciting!!! Congratulations on all of your news!

As for the flight, bring a Boppy/nursing pillow on the flight with you. Then you can rest the baby and your arms on it and actually sleep while the baby sleeps. Oh, and you are allowed a carry-on for the baby in addition to your allowances on like very airline. I also recommend bringing a full size stroller. It makes layovers so much easier having the basket underneath and it gets checked at the gate anyway. Also, you can bring pretty much anything through security (even liquids) for the baby. However, if it is more than 3. whatever ounces, the rule is that they have to test it by sticking a little paper strip in it. If it is sealed, or for some reason cannot be tested like that, they will search all of your stuff and pat you and the baby down. Also, most airports have a family line for security. It is usually much shorter and you don't have to feel guilty taking forever to load everything onto the conveyor belt.

Sorry for the lengthy response, but these are the most valuable travel lessons I have learned.

Hannah said...

Congrats on all these great things! Michael is from Madison and is a computer science student... his mom wants him to work at Epic someday so he'll be close to family again. :) When is your Europe trip? That sounds like so much fun! And your little girl is sure to be here soon! -Hannah Dimond

The Bergant Family said...

Yay!!! So many fun things happening! What a fun time of life it is!!! I loved your note to little Audrey and we all hope that she comes soon! Traveling with an infant is great because they still sleep a lot. The list above seemed very thorough to me. Luckily, newborns jsut need milk and diapers. :)

Jeff said...

Mitchell,

You'll have to tell me how it is there. They gave me an offer when I was looking a couple of years back. The whole campus was really nice and parts of it were still under construction. Later.

janderson said...

Wow, big things are happening Mel! Congratulations on the job! I love those soft stretchy wrappy slings especially on public transportation. It's so much easier than lugging around a huge car seat. You can even breastfeed under them if you practice. It's a good shield from stranger germs too :) Good Luck!!

Paula said...

Wow, a Europe trip with a newborn and then on to Epic Systems! Congratulations, but I will be sad when you leave. When do you go? Do you need help packing?