The house phase

I know, it's been quite a while since I've written anything, and also quite a while since I've done anything worth writing about, creatively speaking. That doesn't mean I haven't been busy. My internship has gone up from 2 to 4 days a week, and there are lots of meetings and events in the evenings and weekends, so that's keeping me pretty busy. Also, I've had to finish most of my dissertation before the 19th, which I managed, but only just. But the thing that's been occupying my mind the most lately is the fact that we've bought a house.
Yes, you've read that correctly; we've bought a house. Remember when I was ranting on about life's phases and not being sure where you stand and what you want to do and where you want to live? Apparently, all that doubt goes away when you find the right house, in the right location, with the right feel. Not entirely true, as I still have some creeping doubts when I hear that friends of ours are going to live in New York City for a year, but I was there on holiday just 2 months ago, and I want a garden and a place for our cats to live, and something we can afford, and that's in Groningen, not NYC.
So we've been busy talking to banks and notaries and contractors and bathroom people and what-not, managing stuff from money to insurances to bathroom tiles to paint colours. The house is huuuge, they've combined 2 ex-social rent homes to make one new home, and it needs a lot of work done. There's no bathroom, for example, and only a very basic kitchen. On the other hand, there are two massive living rooms (one of which will be split into a bedroom and an office). So that will keep us busy for a while. We hope to do most of the work ourselves, and we hope to do most of it in the Christmas holidays, although I had also planned to do a lot of dissertation work during that time, so we will see how that goes.
I'll try and put up some before and after pics, something I forgot to do with the house we live in now, which was in about the same state as this one is in. The garden (which is quite big) is also going to need a lot of work, as it is all kind of clay-y and soggy at the moment, but that will be a nice project for April or May. For the moment, it feels as if we've got pretty much the most basic stuff arranged and done, so now we just wait until December 17th, when we'll get the key. And then I will be the most adult version of myself I've ever been, complete with a  house and a mortgage. Let's wait and see whether we slide on into the double-income-workaholic stage that seems to follow this stage all around us... I hope not, as I want to enjoy this house as much as I possibly can!