wonderful+wintry

Sunshiney fall is out--the weather here is drippy and chilly and I wouldn't mind, but the cold is already seeping into my bones (we had 91% humidity yesterday) and I'm trying to pretend I'll survive the winter (right now I'm wearing thermals, a tshirt and a fleece and snuggling under our down comforter. In defense, we haven't figured out how to turn our heat on? I love Wisconsin I love it I love it.)

In work news, this week was the User's Group Meeting, which is when Epic's clients come to Madison and talk about how they've made Epic work for them. It's a huge deal (6,500 people) and was really cool--most things went straight over my head, but it gave me a sense of what challenges I'll face (people are throwing around the phrase 'change management' which is sounds like something I want to read more about) and how Epic can help. A C(E?)O of a huge hospital organization gave a talk about the financial and efficiency benefits of installing an EMR like Epic, talked about what it takes to really utilize the thing (way more (or different) planning, time, and money than most people anticipate), but that if done properly, it can really really help. A small, ignored part of me just shivered in delight at the *graphs* and *facts* and *figures*. Epic is a company, with foibles any company has, but we can do stuff, we can make a noticeable difference. Business=sexy. Is the moral of that story.
I also met w/my supervisor as it were and mapped out the next several months. Intense and just getting more intense is the sense I'm getting. So. Girding my loins for that.

In James news: he's handsome. Trying to decided whether to cut his hair or shave his beard. Working working working. Also building us a bed, which is super manly and delightful. And doing laundry and washing dishes and generally being an awesome house husband. He might not like me to call him that, but he does make me breakfast while I'm in the shower and tonight made a piecrust that I'm almost certain is going to be magical.

Our Friday night date was grocery shopping to Trader Joe's! We got mochi and stroop waffles and this *amazing* roasted salsa that we eat with *amazing* sweet potato tortilla chips, and all other sorts of delightful treats. We also stopped by a grocery store called Woodman's which is quite possibly the largest grocery store I've been in ever in my life. Like a butter *aisle* big. Like *what brand* of 106 oz stewed skinned tomatoes do you want, exactly, or rice noodles or fish sauce, big. Also a wonderful magical place. We've been shopping at a charming little store in Mt. Horeb, and weren't quite prepared for the profusion.

Also, we're loving Wisconsin. We keep running into towns that are yet tinier and yet more adorable than Mt. Horeb (New Glarus, this week--Little Switzerland and I sort of want to eat it with a toothpick it was so cute. We bought a cabinet from a middle school science teacher's wife whose boys were wrestling on the grass.) And, on our way to church:

Just delightful. :) And. We'll take pictures of things eventually.

Loves, ke(b).