All of that is WAY WAY beyond a first time tiler. Even experienced pros do not get glass tile installations right, or clean up well enough from an acrylic based grout. Hire a professional tiler who has extensive documented experience with glass. $1500 minimum. No maximum, depending on size and pattern.

I would add that when the OP says "glass mosaic backsplash", she may be referring to the multicolored glass backsplash tile - usually also with multi sizes of tiles - that was popular 15 years ago. It still crops up today, but rarely. If I am correct, the OP may want to re-think this tile that had a flash of popularity years ago, but lost its popularity quickly.

Thank you both for taking the time to share your incite. Based on your feedback, I will be hiring a professional to complete this job for me.

Lara, I just completed this same project with a glass mosaic tile on mesh. It really was not difficult at all, except that placing the sheets, especially the first two or three, was a bit nerve racking to get the spacing between the mesh sheets right and not have to do cutting. I also have tiles before, but never a mosaic of tiny glass, and made the mistake of not wiping the grout soon enough for it to come off easily. This made a lot of back-breaking work for me scraping, chipping and scrubbing it off after it was too dried, I used Mapei FA, and my recommendation is mix, and grout, only a small area at a time. If you can have a helper set a timer for twenty minutes each time you start grouting, start wiping off that area immediately, and have that helper start wiping off the haze every tenor twenty minutes after that - do thattwice or three times as much as you think so no grout remains on the glossy surface, and you will be able to do this quite easily. Tape off and cardboard protect adjacent surfaces, ie the cooktop, the counters, the wall cabinets, and get a flexible foam tube (I got mine from lumber liquidators) for where the backsplash meets the counter — don’t grout that joint but use caulk after the job is done, as this is a place where grout would crack, but this foam tubing and caulk will move with the cabinets and the wall.

Good luck!

Also, the grout will eventually dry to almost the same color as the powder, don’t worry if it looks darker when you add the water. Add less water than you think, tiny amounts at a time, and mix it in before adding more. all of a sudden a few droplets will change the texture to what you want. I also would recommend you find the self adhesive backer instead of mortar. The glass mosaic wants to be flexible, which is a wonderful effect as the light hits it from different angles, but it is also too flexible for a beginner to use mortar, and you don’t want it coming through where you need grout.