It was a long journey for us to get to the place ‘Bohemian Shepherd’ – a lifetime, in fact. Mike and I (Courtney) first met while serving in the United States Air Force at Offutt AFB in Nebraska and were married over Memorial Day weekend in 1992 a few years later while at Hickam AFB in Hawaii – this is us 34 years later!
Why ‘Always Faithful?’. Although we are Air Force veterans, ‘Semper Fi’ has been a large part of Courtney’s history. Her father, Major Ralph Marion Dryden Jr. was a Marine Aviator and had the honor of piloting Marine 1 for presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson. He served 2 tours in Vietnam, but sadly, was killed in action on July 28th, 1968. In 1973, another Marine, Major O. Robert Edmondson and his wife, Ann, made Courtney a part of their family – for which she was always grateful. Semper Fi -the motto of the United States Marine Corps, thus ‘Always Faithful’ seemed the best way to honor the two Marines in her life. We were also so very pleased when daughter Eryn chose to marry her Marine, Matt Bell!
We like to boast on our now adult children. Eryn our eldest daughter, Michael, and Kellen, the youngest. We love sharing life and adventures with them and are excited as our family continues to grow through marriages and babies!
Animals have always been a very important part of our family and our lives! We’ve had horses, a rescue pony, goats left at a house that we bought, adopted dogs pure and mixed, cats tame and ferrel! Courtney works as a volunteer once a week at Safe Place for Animals in Gallatin, TN.
Just a few more odds n ends about Mike and Courtney – so you know who the guardians of Bella and Shadow are! We are real. Mike just retired at the end of 2025, after spending 25 years with an international engineering firm, his last duty being in the ‘C-suite’ as the Chief Growth Officer. He loved it, but has so many interests that he will not be bored, not for one minute in retirement.
Courtney loved her military career and would do it all, all over again. She was a targeting officer and served aboard the EC-135 ‘Looking Glass’ and on the ground during Operation Just Cause against then dictator, Manuel Noriega. Retirement came too soon, but she found a few things to keep herself occupied!
This may have been too much, I don’t know – but wanted you to get to know us as well as one can get to know someone on-line. Oh….and I am a horrible cook. Truly, it is well known throughout the county. Anyway, please enjoy the stories, videos, and photos of Shadow and Bella! Thank you for visiting and many blessings to all!