Meet Emily McNulty, Marine Corps Mentor

At MSAN, we celebrate all of the beautiful details that make each of us unique, from the military branch you’re connected with to your favorite hobbies and parenting wins. Today, we’d like to introduce Marine Corps spouse mentor Emily McNulty for this edition of our Volunteer Spotlight. 

Please share a little bit about your military spouse background.

We met in 2009 when he was on recruiting duty in Roanoke, VA, where, as he says, he recruited a wife! We have been married since 2010. I knew absolutely nothing about military spouse life when we met and got married. I learned “on the job.” We have moved all over the United States and Japan, and we’re currently stationed in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. 

We also have two sons, John (7) and Henry (4). I have discovered that I love hiking and taking pictures on the trails. I always try to find my happy place at each dusty station. I’m known to drag my kids and husbands on hikes, try new cafes, and see sunrises and sunsets everywhere.

Now, tell us something fun about yourself that others would find unique, even if it was before your military days.

I love creating abstract art. I dabbled in college and fell head over heels. I always feel like I see images in lines and shapes and then want to create them. I am a complete visual and hands-on learner. I am happiest covered in paint and glue or wandering in the middle of the woods.

Since you mentioned that you love creating art, what kind of projects do you take on?

I just made a welcome sign from shells we collected on our two beach trips this summer. I love to draw pictures for my kids to color and would love to create a coloring book eventually. I love to create in general, and I am currently working on using the rest of my shells in painting projects on canvas. I also would love to create abstract landscape paintings with my own photographs. I want to create what I see, turning realistic items into shapes and lines.

You have a lot of fun photos posted in the HUB. Is photography your favorite hobby?

It has become my lifeline, in all honesty. I struggled a lot in 29 Palms while still dealing with a major health issue. I was alone, and it was hard to connect or make friends. I started hiking in Joshua Tree National Park close to seven days a week. I found happiness in finding the best view through a photograph. I went in each day excited to explore and find a new spot. I found out I was actually pretty great at it! 

Photography inspires me to keep going! Our first year in Pennsylvania was rough, with my husband gone up to three weeks a month, so I explored on my own and with my kids and photographed a whole new area. I shared those photos with others who really embraced me. I love photography; it gives me a creative outlet and gets me outdoors!

What surprises you about being a boy mom?

They are crazy but unbelievably sweet at the same time. And the boys are completely different. They still love to cuddle and be close. My oldest is super creative and wants to be an artist when he grows up, which is a dream for me! My youngest has a much shorter attention span at four years old, go figure!, and changes his mind by the hour about what he wants to be when he is older. I love being a boy mom.

Have you been through a deployment since you’ve had the boys? What was it like, and what did you do that you felt was a “win” that you could share with readers? 

We have not done a deployment since we had the boys. But as I mentioned above, my husband was on recruiting duty this past year and was gone three weeks or more a month for a year.

Our win was to get into a routine—both home-based and a fun routine, like Slurpee Fridays, which we still do! We also ate dinner at the same time each night, and they went to bed at the same time. We read books in Henry’s room, cuddled together, and learned to be flexible and happy.

We usually explored a new playground, farmers market, cafe, diner, field, trail, lake, or ice cream spot on any day we didn’t have cub scouts, baseball, or other activities. We also had movie nights in our pajamas on the weekends. However, not every adventure was successful or without a tantrum or complaining. And, of course, we had days where no one wanted to do anything but sit on the couch or watch TV. 

How do you hope to help the military community as a mentor with MSAN?

I hope to share my experience from each stage of this journey. I know what it's like to be kid-less newlyweds, a mom with young kids, a wife who is on her own while her husband is gone most of the time, a seasoned spouse, and a spouse who explores her duty stations to the fullest. 

I know all the hikes, cafes, coffee spots, sunflower fields, etc., firsthand because I finally feel completely comfortable exploring on my own. I also have dealt with significant health problems while overseas and want to help others navigate and fight for their medical care. 

If you want to connect with Emily, contact her in the HUB, or email her at emcnulty@milspouseadvocacynetwork.org. 

At MSAN, Dawn serves as the Communications Coordinator and counts getting to know the volunteers and HUB members as one of her military spouse career's most rewarding volunteer experiences. With 20+ years of Army spouse experience behind her, she advocates for mentorship within the spouse ranks. Thanks to a transient military life with her husband and daughter, Dawn built a virtual business focused on military lifestyle marketing and real estate content creation.