You certainly know how to make life work (going out, pulling away from here as needed) and reaching out as needed. Good for you!
On the legal front, in Connecticut a $7500 retainer is the norm, with an uncontested divorce using lawyers using less then that amount. Mediation is cheaper. Having a lawyer to review your mediation is worth the price to make sure it's fair.
If the lawyer says document everything.. document everything. If your spouse takes those items out of the house and you have no record of it, its value is gone. Taking books on divorce out of your library. They will tell you the in's and out's. A friend gave me "Congratulations on Your Divorce." which I could never open because of the title until just recently. That has a lot of timely info that is helpful in the pre-consideration, initiation, during and post divorce timeline. It's a whole other world.
Be sure to reach out for your true friends who listen and give you rock solid advice, even if a 2x4 is attached to it.
I'm sorry to hear you're going through this pain.. but.. the best is yet to come.
