diff --git a/.github/workflows/quarto.yml b/.github/workflows/quarto.yml
index e495c42..3e290f9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/quarto.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/quarto.yml
@@ -1,29 +1,12 @@
-name: quarto website
+name: quarto-website
 
 # Controls when the workflow will run
 on:
   # Triggers the workflow on push or pull request events but only for the specified branches
   push:
-    branches: [ "main", "dev" ]
-  # pull_request:
-  #   branches: [ "main", "dev" ]
-
-  # # Allows you to run this workflow manually from the Actions tab
-  # workflow_dispatch:
-
-# Debugging log info
-# https://docs.github.com/en/actions/monitoring-and-troubleshooting-workflows/troubleshooting-workflows/enabling-debug-logging
-
-# temporarily use conditional statement to skip PR while troubleshooting
-# env: A map of variables that are available to the steps of all jobs in the workflow. 
-    # The env context contains variables that have been set in a workflow, job, or step.
-# env:
-#   RUN_PR_STEP: "${{ false }}"
-
-# The vars context contains custom configuration variables set at the organization, repository, and environment levels. 
-# repository or environment variables can be set on Github or the GH Actions extension in VSCode
-# https://github.com/jennylsmith/jennylsmith.github.io/settings/variables/actions
-# if statements can only access thse expression contexts: github, inputs, vars, needs
+    branches: [ "main", "dev", "main_pr_test", "dev_pr_test"]
+  # Allows you to run this workflow manually from the Actions tab or gh CLI
+  workflow_dispatch:
 
 # Allow only one concurrent deployment, skipping runs queued between the run in-progress and latest queued.
 # However, do NOT cancel in-progress runs as we want to allow these production deployments to complete.
@@ -33,7 +16,7 @@ concurrency:
 
 # Sets permissions of the GITHUB_TOKEN to allow deployment to GitHub Pages
 permissions:
-  contents: read
+  contents: write
   pages: write
   id-token: write
   pull-requests: write
@@ -46,65 +29,125 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     env:
       QUARTO_VERSION: 1.5.57
+      OUTPUT_DIR: docs
+      CACHE_PATH: '**/docs/*.*'
+
     # Steps represent a sequence of tasks that will be executed as part of the job
     steps:
-      # install quarto
-      - name: install quarto CLI
-        run: |
-          wget -O ${{ runner.temp }}/quarto.deb https://github.com/quarto-dev/quarto-cli/releases/download/v${QUARTO_VERSION}/quarto-${QUARTO_VERSION}-linux-amd64.deb \
-          && sudo dpkg -i ${{ runner.temp }}/quarto.deb
       
       # checks-out your repository under $GITHUB_WORKSPACE, so your job can access it
       - name: checkout  
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      
+    
       # setup gh pages
       - name: setup pages
         id: pages
         uses: actions/configure-pages@v5
       
+      - name: restore artifacts
+        id: cache-artifacts
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@v4
+        with: 
+          path: ${{ env.OUTPUT_DIR }}
+          key: ${{ github.ref_name }}-${{ github.sha }}-key
+
+      # install quarto
+      - name: install quarto CLI
+        if: steps.cache-artifacts.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
+        run: |
+          wget -O ${{ runner.temp }}/quarto.deb --quiet https://github.com/quarto-dev/quarto-cli/releases/download/v${QUARTO_VERSION}/quarto-${QUARTO_VERSION}-linux-amd64.deb \
+          && sudo dpkg -i ${{ runner.temp }}/quarto.deb
+      
       # render the website 
       - name: render website
+        if: steps.cache-artifacts.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
         run: quarto render
         
       # upload the rendered website (artifact)
       - name: upload artifact
+        id: artifact
         uses: actions/upload-pages-artifact@v3
         with:
-          path: ./docs
+          path: ${{ env.OUTPUT_DIR }}
+        
+      # cache rendered website artifacts
+      - name: Cache Artifacts
+        id: create-cache
+        uses: actions/cache/save@v4
+        with:
+          path: ${{ env.OUTPUT_DIR }}
+          key: ${{ github.ref_name }}-${{ github.sha }}-key
 
   # pull request
+  # https://github.com/peter-evans/create-pull-request/blob/main/docs/concepts-guidelines.md#triggering-further-workflow-runs
   pull_request:
-    if: ${{ vars.RUN_PR_STEP == true }}
+    if: ${{ github.ref_name == 'dev_pr_test' }}
     needs: build
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    environment:
+      name: dev
+    env:
+      BASE: main_pr_test
     steps:
       - name: checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      - name: create pull request
-        id: cpr
-        uses: peter-evans/create-pull-request@v7
         with:
-          commit-message: "merge dev into main"
-          branch: dev
-          base: pr_actions_test
-          assignees: jennylsmith
-          reviewers: jennylsmith
-        
+          token: ${{ secrets.GH_PAT }}
+          ref: main_pr_test
+      - name: gh-cli-pr
+        run: | 
+          echo ${{ secrets.GH_PAT }} | gh auth login --with-token && \
+          gh pr create -B $BASE -H ${{ github.ref_name }} --title "PR for ${{ github.sha }} on RUN_ID ${{ github.run_id }}" --body "PR for ${{ github.sha }}" --draft && \
+          gh auth logout
+      # - name: gh-cli-pr
+      #   run:
+
+      # - name: create-pull-request
+      #   id: cpr
+      #   uses: peter-evans/create-pull-request@v7
+      #   with:
+      #     commit-message: merge dev into main
+      #     title: PR from ${{ github.run_id }}
+      #     draft: always-true
+      #     branch: ${{ github.ref }}
+
   # deploy job
   deploy:
+    if: ${{ github.ref_name == 'main' }}
     # Add a dependency to the job
     needs: build
-    # add and if statement later? ${{ github.event.repository.default_branch }}
     # Deploy to the github-pages environment
+    # Settings and variables here: https://github.com/jennylsmith/jennylsmith.github.io/settings/environments
+    # environment:
+    #   name: github-pages
+    #   url: ${{ steps.deployment.outputs.page_url }}
     environment:
-      name: github-pages
-      url: ${{ steps.deployment.outputs.page_url }}
-
+      name: dev
     # Specify runner
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     # deploy to gh pages
     steps:
-      - name: deploy to GitHub pages
-        id: deployment
-        uses: actions/deploy-pages@v4
+      - name: "vars example"
+        run: |
+          echo "the gh branch that triggered the workflow is $GITHUB_REF_NAME"
+          echo "debug set to $ACTIONS_RUNNER_DEBUG"
+      # - name: deploy to GitHub pages
+      #   id: deployment
+      #   uses: actions/deploy-pages@v4
+
+
+#### NOTES
+
+# Debugging log info
+# https://docs.github.com/en/actions/monitoring-and-troubleshooting-workflows/troubleshooting-workflows/enabling-debug-logging
+
+# temporarily use conditional statement to skip PR while troubleshooting
+# env: A map of variables that are available to the steps of all jobs in the workflow. 
+    # The env context contains variables that have been set in a workflow, job, or step.
+# env:
+#   RUN_PR_STEP: "${{ false }}"
+
+# The vars context contains custom configuration variables set at the organization, repository, and environment levels. 
+# repository or environment variables can be set on Github or the GH Actions extension in VSCode
+# https://github.com/jennylsmith/jennylsmith.github.io/settings/variables/actions
+# if statements can only access thse expression contexts: github, inputs, vars, needs
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8f23ef5..db20441 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ using the following command in a terminal:
 quarto preview --render all --no-watch-inputs --no-browse
 ```
 
-For new features or fixes, create an issue on github in a new branch.
+For new features or fixes, create an issue on github and create a new branch with the changes.
 
 Then open a pull request using `gh` commandline utility to merge changes into the `dev` branch, like the example below for issue #4.