My Life by TorreyShannon.com

Managing Life After Combat: Simpler solutions for complicated lives

Category Archives: My Life

Follow me as I go through the ups and downs of writing my first non-fiction book and learn how I deal with life’s greatest challenges. I talk about veteran care issues, my daily life while living in the middle of nowhere in the Rocky Mountains, write short stories, and share articles I write on the internet.

I occasionally have a video camera rolling when all the crazy/hysterical/dramatic things happen to me or my family in the course of each day. If I didn’t have evidence, no one would believe it. My life is never dull.

We all have a story. This part of my blog is about mine.

When it is your word against theirs: Why you should (and probably can) record phone calls

Written on June 3, 2013 by Torrey Shannon in Caregiver Resources, Key Issues/Breaking News, Main Navigation, Military - Veteran - Caregiver Resources, My Life, Simplify Your Life, Torrey's Mailbag, Veteran Advocacy

Once upon a time I recorded a phone call that netted almost $2,000 in payment to me. I didn’t concern myself at the time as to whether the call was being taped legally. Why? Because the caller was a rogue bill collector who was clearly harassing me and breaking federal laws in the process about…

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10 Easy Tips to Take Stress Out of Your Day – staying on top of the little things!

Written on May 24, 2013 by Torrey Shannon in Be Flawesome!, Caregiver Resources, Main Navigation, Military - Veteran - Caregiver Resources, My Life, Simplify Your Life, Uncategorized, Veteran Advocacy

“To live in perpetual want of little things is a state, not indeed of torture, but of constant vexation.” -Samuel Johnson Have you noticed that you have given up (or lost track of) so many little things in your life that they have turned into a bunch of really big things that significantly add to…

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What are your friendships built on?

Written on May 23, 2013 by Torrey Shannon in Be Flawesome!, Caregiver Resources, Friendships, Improve Your Life, Military - Veteran - Caregiver Resources, My Life, Relationships, Veteran Advocacy

I love this quote from C.S. Lewis: “Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another: “What! You too? I thought I was the only one!” Friendships are commonly built on being able to relate to each other. My friendships involve encouragement, laughter, commiserating together on difficult days, and bouncing ideas off…

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New App for Military Families

Written on May 15, 2013 by Torrey Shannon in Caregiver Resources, Key Issues/Breaking News, Main Navigation, Military - Veteran - Caregiver Resources, My Life, Simplify Your Life, Torrey's Mailbag, Veteran Advocacy, Veteran Benefits

This is pretty cool, y’all. Have you ever wished for a road map when you were going through major military life transitions such as: Having a Baby Reintegration Transitioning out of the military Spouse Education Spouse Employment The Basics Survivors Deployment Moving Raising Kids Well, good news! There is an app for that! MyMilitaryLife is…

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A Military Mom’s Mother’s Day Wish For Her Children

Written on May 11, 2013 by Torrey Shannon in Caregiver Resources, Main Navigation, Military - Veteran - Caregiver Resources, My Life, Veteran Advocacy

(Torrey’s note: I wrote a similar version of this and it was published in the Huffington Post. I hope you enjoy!) Dear Kids, With Mother’s Day around the corner, I thought I’d share my wish list so you know what I want. It’s a simple list, really. This way Dad won’t feel guilty if he’s…

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C.A.M.O. Summer 2013 Program Information – Challenge Aspen Military Opportunities

Written on May 10, 2013 by Torrey Shannon in Caregiver Resources, Key Issues/Breaking News, Latest News, Main Navigation, Military - Veteran - Caregiver Resources, My Life, Torrey's Mailbag, Travel, Veteran Advocacy, Veteran Benefits

(Torrey’s Note: Dan and I have been involved in this program since 2005. They are taking applications for their summer program and details are below. Please check it out and pass it on! They provide all transportation, lodging and program costs and offer this to veterans across the nation. Depending on which session you choose…

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Wounded Warriors have special processing options for Social Security Disability Benefits {details inside}

Written on May 9, 2013 by Torrey Shannon in Caregiver Resources, Frequently Asked Questions, Key Issues/Breaking News, Latest News, Main Navigation, Military - Veteran - Caregiver Resources, My Life, Torrey's Mailbag, Veteran Advocacy, Veteran Benefits

It breaks my heart when I see a caregiver sharing a story about how their wounded warrior’s Social Security process is taking too long, or gets rejected outright. I’ve been sharing this information for quite some time but we still have a long way to go in educating the combat-injured military community about special benefits…

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Are you having difficulty with getting a referral from Tricare? {TriWest details inside}

Written on May 8, 2013 by Torrey Shannon in Caregiver Resources, Key Issues/Breaking News, Latest News, Main Navigation, Military - Veteran - Caregiver Resources, My Life, Torrey's Mailbag, Veteran Advocacy, Veteran Benefits

Since United Health Care took over TriWest on April 1st, the referral system has been in utter chaos. I received notification that those in Colorado Springs were greatly affected and measures are in place to rectify the situation. In our case, we had our own nightmare with getting a referral (and an apology from our…

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Quelling more VA Caregiver Benefit rumors {please pass this on to help stop the panic!}

Written on May 1, 2013 by Torrey Shannon in Caregiver Resources, Frequently Asked Questions, Key Issues/Breaking News, Latest News, Main Navigation, Military - Veteran - Caregiver Resources, My Life, Torrey's Mailbag, Veteran Advocacy, Veteran Benefits

Are you still hearing rumors about the VA Caregiver program? I am. Good Lord almighty, if it’s not one rumor it’s another. Let me be the voice of reason to caregivers everywhere. Ladies, I beg you. Please calm down. You are making things worse! The VA has their hands full enough as it is, so…

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VA Caregiver Stipend pay is actually not late {official response from VA enclosed}

Written on April 30, 2013 by Torrey Shannon in Caregiver Resources, Key Issues/Breaking News, Latest News, Main Navigation, Military - Veteran - Caregiver Resources, My Life, Torrey's Mailbag, Veteran Advocacy, Veteran Benefits

About a month ago I shared some information about a potential for an upcoming pay increase for Post 9/11 Caregivers. This month many caregivers are concerned because their pay has been ‘delayed’. I’d like to help clear up any confusion about this issue, if I may. Look at your award letter It’s true that up…