So I've been wanting to go to Waco and check out Cameron Park for awhile now. Some good friends mentioned it to me; they had me at "416 acres" and "wooded running trails". Granted, mid-August in Texas is not the best season to visit as it was 101 when we were there, but it was certainly worth checking out.

My compadres and I camped at Lake Whitney in Hillsburo, surprisingly the only tent campers in our area behind the RV spots. Come to think of it, that's likely why we were the only ones there. That, and I choose isolation over crowded lake-side sites every day of the week. Any PC folks remember this camping trip to Lake Whitney?

Ironically, that was one of the coldest nights I've ever camped... ever. We kept the same fire going all weekend and hardly strayed 10 feet from it except to play so many Nerts games I lost count.

Anyway, Amber and I perfected our ziploc bag omelet-making skills on this trip; we also tried out pizza skewers which were absolutely amazing. Sausage, green pepper, pineapple, and pepperoni on a skewer wrapped in cheese and crescent roll, cooked on the campfire and dipped in pizza sauce. Yes, please. Those will be making a comeback. We then drove in to Cameron Park (about 30 minutes) for the day on Sunday. 

Cameron Park is truly one of my new favorite places. We hiked in the morning while it was still "cool", found a few geocaches, and then spent the afternoon running through a Splash Pad with 6-year-olds and playing disc golf in the shade. By "playing", I mean that I launched a piece of plastic about 10 ft each throw. Let's just say I have some practicing to do on that. I did, however, redeem myself in multiple games of Jungle Uno that night as we waited for brats to grill.

The getaway ended back at Lake Whitney with us rescuing a stranded boat that "got lost" and ran out of gas. Pretty epic weekend, I'd say. Can't wait for cooler weather and a chance to go back and actually run some trails. Enjoy the Friday and put a little adventure in your day!

If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong. –Abe Lincoln

There was quite the buzz going around about Mercy Project yesterday (and still today) – a buzz, as in 200 new Facebook fans, 400 unique visitors to our website, and nearly 700 new views of our documentary. Needless to say, we think this is absolutely fantastic. A dream was cast that we would set aside Labor Day as the perfect time for broadening awareness of the plight of the kids in Ghana and our efforts to help them. With the help of a friend and huge Mercy Project supporter, we started planning for and seeking 100 Mommy Bloggers to help us with an initiative to spread the word about the children in Ghana and our work to rescue them from slavery.

Because while we celebrated the social and economic achievements of American workers by enjoying a day off work and school, 7,000 children worked a 14 hour day in Ghana. As we hung out with friends and family, perhaps grilling out or spending time on a short vacation, 5-year-olds in Ghana spent their time paddling wooden boats, bailing water our of leaky canoes, and pulling small fish out of sticky nets.

And so, it seemed appropriate that we take the opportunity to seek advocates for our work and to not be merely satisfied with freedom in our immediate American circles but to demand it for those who are not blessed in the same manner, to shed light on situations of injustice, to further works that bring hope and redemption.

We have been so blessed by the 160+ people who joined our efforts yesterday and the estimated 100,000 new people who heard about Mercy Project as a result.

But the dream for freedom continues today and into the next; it continues until each child is brought out of slavery and is able to instead run and play and learn their ABC's. It continues until families are reunited and granted the ability to dream for a future that involves the health and happiness of their children and grandchildren.

Would you join us on the journey?