Ok one down. It was only an hour because soon to be Ex had another appt.
Our most difficult 2 items will be house and amount of maintanence. Everything else will not be bad I believe. No child custody issues as we have adult children (well one is almost).
We dove right into the house and both stated we want it. It is a huge emotional pull since we built it 18 years ago and this is where the kids will be drawn to. Especially for our senior in HS, she REALLY wants to stay in the house. He makes significantly more than me and had a plan drawn up about how he could afford the house and to buy me out. He wants to cut me out of his life and keep everything else exactly the same!! Even if it is not the best financial move for me, the value of me having the house is my biggest (and only) thing I will go to trial for.
The most obvious and best thing to do would be to sell but we both think it is best to keep our senior in the home for one more year.
I am going to consult with my attorney as to what best strategies I can use to secure the home. How can I prove that it is best for me to stay in the house and that I can afford it (which I don't even know if I can). I have endured over a year of IHS and him remaining in the master bedroom because he is an entitled ass. I am done. I want to move on with my life.
Anyway on a better note, I asked her afterwards if we seemed like we could get to settlement and she said yes. You have 2 hard issues to work through. If he gets the house, he will be much more agreeable about all other items. If I get the house, every other item will be a battle. The house is his most important item as well. The mediator is top notch and VERY reputable in town.
[This message edited by kiwilee at 5:56 AM, Sunday, July 9th]