Hit My 50th Before 50! Plus Something Super Rare…

by | Nov 22, 2019 | Uncategorized | 11 comments

Speaking in all 50 States

I’ve been writing some pretty heavy pieces lately, and I wanted to give you all a bit of an update and a newsier side of the blog.

Those who are signed up for my emails get more of this regularly (and especially those signed up for my prayer letters!), but I thought I’d fill you in on what’s going on.

Last week, Keith and I flew into Vegas and then drove down to Utah for the awesome Get Your Marriage On conference! It’s put on not by a church or organization, but just by a couple in St. George, Utah, who are passionate about helping their community build marriages. And they do that in several ways, including the awesome Ultimate Intimacy app and the Get Your Marriage On app, which I think are wonderful.

On Friday night they hosted an “adult” prom (as in a prom for adults, not an X-rated prom) :), because sometimes grownups have to have fun, too! And they had the coolest ice cream station, where the servers mixed up actual cream and flavouring, and then added liquid nitrogen to flash freeze it. It was delicious!

Adult Prom in Utah

And we got to dance, and, of course, have an awesome photo booth!

On Saturday night I spoke to 450 people about sex in marriage, and had a ton of fun. I really enjoy giving my sex talk. I certainly keep it lighthearted, and we laugh a lot.

Sheila Speaking at Get Your Marriage On

 

But I also emphasize how sex is about a real connection, and share a story that usually leaves at least 1/3 of the audience in tears.

We make two mistakes with sex: we either treat it too cavalierly, as if it’s only physical, or we treat it so seriously that we’re not able to laugh about it or talk about it anymore. It’s so important to find that balance, where it’s about vulnerability and fun and passion all in one, without anything outweighing the other.

Get Your Marriage On Conference

But two things made this trip especially cool, on a personal level, for Keith and me.

First, for me: I have now been to all 50 states!

I’ve kept track of all the states I’ve visited since I was a child. Because I speak a lot around the country, the only two states I was missing were Nevada and Utah. So guess what? We flew into Nevada, and then took a picture at the welcome centre in Utah! Yay! I hit all 50 before I turned 50!

Sheila Going to 50th State Utah

(True embarrassing fact: I have not visited all Canadian provinces. I am still missing Newfoundland, plus all 3 territories. I am a disgrace to my nation). 

Now for Keith: He saw a super rare bird. Which is a big deal, don’t you know?

On the Sunday after I spoke we went to Zion National Park and hiked, which was gorgeous.

Hiking in Utah

Hiking with Keith in Utah

And we saw three California condors, the largest and rarest bird in North America (my husband is a serious birder). 30 years ago the species existed almost entirely in captivity, and was down to only 25 individuals. But they’ve slowly reintroduced the birds in the wild, and the population is now up over 400, I believe. But they’re still very rare. Keith was thrilled!

California Condor in Utah

We then flew off to British Columbia, where we’re speaking at a FamilyLife Canada conference in Whistler this weekend. We spent the week on Vancouver Island visiting my cousins and her kids, where I taught my 7-year-old niece how to knit (I know she’s my first cousin once removed, but she’s really my niece, and that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it). My grandmother (her great-grandmother) taught me, and I taught her using the same story that Grandma taught me. And I still have things that my grandmother’s mother knit, which I will one day share with my niece. So it’s in our blood!

And then we took the ferry back to the mainland–

Ferry in British Columbia to a Marriage Conference

and now we’re in Whistler, waiting for the conference to begin tonight. It’s been a great trip away, although it’s hard to keep up with the blog in a different time zone.

Do you want to win me coming to speak about sex in your church?

As you may or may not know, I’m in the middle of collecting responses to our Bare Marriage Survey, what I hope will be the largest survey of Christian women’s marital and sexual satisfaction that’s ever been done. It’s quite comprehensive, and we’ve got almost 13,000 responses so far. Some of the data will be released in a book with Baker Books the spring of 2021, called The Great Sex Rescue. But there’s enough here for 6 books at least, and many academic articles!

And we need your help.

If you’re a woman and you’ve ever been married (even if you aren’t now), we need you to take it! Don’t miss being part of something really big. I truly think this survey will be groundbreaking, and people will be referring to it for years to come. So make your voice heard!

But I also want to get the word about the survey, so that it’s not only people on the blog taking it.

That’s why we’ve got a special offer for people who recruit others to take the survey.

If you’d be willing to post about it on Facebook or social media or spread the word to your church, friends, or relatives, you can win some prizes!

  1. First place (the one who recruits the most respondents) wins ME, coming to give my Girl Talk at your church, for FREE! I won’t charge a fee, and I’ll waive half my expenses, too.
  2. Second place wins $100 Amazon gift card.
  3. Another $100 Amazon gift card will be awarded randomly to someone who has recruited 10 or more respondents.

And as we get more responses, I’ll open up even more prizes.

If your church is interested in having me come, this is an easy way to do it! Just get the women in your church to take the survey, and to spread the word using your link! If you’d like your own personalized link, just email Tammy and she’ll get you one.

Sheila Gregoire giving her Girl Talk

So take the survey, and sign up to be a recruiter! Let’s get this survey to 20,000!

That’s what’s going on in my life! Let me know–where should I visit next?

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Sheila Wray Gregoire

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Sheila Wray Gregoire

Author at Bare Marriage

Sheila is determined to help Christians find biblical, healthy, evidence-based help for their marriages. And in doing so, she's turning the evangelical world on its head, challenging many of the toxic teachings, especially in her newest book The Great Sex Rescue. She’s an award-winning author of 8 books and a sought-after speaker. With her humorous, no-nonsense approach, Sheila works with her husband Keith and daughter Rebecca to create podcasts and courses to help couples find true intimacy. Plus she knits. All the time. ENTJ, straight 8

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11 Comments

  1. Chris

    Sheila, my mom did that. She hit all 50 states shortly before turning 50. And I wouldn’t sweat Newfoundland. I only became a part of Canada in the 1940s right?

    Reply
    • Sheila Wray Gregoire

      It did! Funny story about Newfoundland. In World War II, a German sub got captured off the coast of Newfoundland before Canada had even joined the war. Newfoundland was at war because it was still officially part of Britain. So they captured German prisoners before the rest of us even joined!

      Reply
      • Keith Gregoire

        Oops. I think I passed the story onto you that I had heard of the Germans being captured by in Newfoundland, but it turns out that it’s a myth. Sorry about that. Newfoundland did join WW2 on September 4th, though, 6 days earlier than Canada. Newfoundland didn’t join Canada till 1949.

        Reply
  2. Nathan

    Great job on all 50! 26 for me right now, most of the remaining ones are in the Midwest. Also Alaska. That one’s a bit hard to get to

    Reply
    • Sheila Wray Gregoire

      We took a cruise to Alaska for my in-law’s 40th anniversary about a decade ago. It was an amazing cruise! Expensive (we saved for a while), but it was amazing!

      Reply
  3. Arwen

    Americas landscape is like no other. I remember driving through the West Coast (I live in CA) and marveling at how beautiful this country is. It’s like all of the world’s nature is located in one geographical area. You want deserts? You got it, you want savanna? You got it, you want mountains? You got it, you want forest? You got it, you want prairie? You got it, etc. It’s amazing! One day i’ll drive throughout the whole USA.

    But i’m waiting and hoping you will speak near me one of these days. I swear i’ll be first inline at the ticket counter. Thank you for sharing your pictures and your family to us strangers!

    Reply
    • Sheila Wray Gregoire

      Oh, I’d love to come back to California! I just need churches to ask me. 🙂

      I’ve had people tell me that New Zealand is God’s executive summary of the world. I’d love to see there, too!

      Reply
  4. Tiffany Rose

    Sheila that is so wonderful you’ve seen all the 50 states!! I wish I could do that. I’ve seen quite a few but still have many to go. My husband travels for work 3-4 times a year. One of the work trips he and his co-workers visited Zion national park. He loved it there.

    Reply
    • Sheila Wray Gregoire

      It really was spectacular!

      Reply
  5. Kya

    We were in Zion NP at the end of September, and we saw the condors, too! I had no idea how big they were!

    Reply
  6. Dan & Emily Purcell

    It was so fun to see you at Get Your Marriage On! You are such an amazing speaker and your message really hit home. More people need to hear what you have to say. Thank you for visiting our little corner of the world and congratulations on 50/50 before 50 🙂

    Reply

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