Leaving the Land of Insanity...

[ClingingToHope]

We don't have anything really written out. I proposed a monetary figure and have kept up with it. We're splitting weekends with the girls. I get them at least one night a week and once got them twice because she was swamped at work. I see them every day after school because I have the flexible schedule.

I grabbed the things I wanted when I moved out. She's since stacked things up of mine that I didn't take that she wanted me to take. That sucked, but I'm set up pretty well now at my apartment. I actually like it better than our house -- it's cleaner and not so cramped with useless junk.

A friend of mine said when he divorced his wife downloaded a divorce settlement form, they went through it together, agreed on everything, took it to a lawyer who filed it and it cost only $1,200.

In my case, the money part won't end being as easy. I gutted my IRA to finish the basement a couple of years ago after a flood. So I only have $10,000 out of what was $25,000.

She has probably about $40,000 in her retirement account. I don't really want any of it, but I want my grandmother's wedding ring back without a fuss and I don't want to give up any of an investment account I started for us in 2007 that's grown to about $3,800. I plan to use that to help pay down the $15,000 in credit card debts she ran up and I may be stuck with.

Of course, I really just want things to work about between us, but as my DB counselor said, it's going to be longer than a 3-to-6 month fix.