One year ago today I accessed my Active email account for the first time and read, "Trish, welcome to Active! We’re excited to have you on board," followed shortly thereafter by, "we’re all a team, support the same mission and should have fun doing it."

I came to this company a team sports fanatic (and will always be, first and foremost). But I'd be lying if I said that working at Active had not influenced me to pursue more endurance-type endeavors. Check out  Chicago Accenture Triathlon and  100 miles = done! to see some of the things I've been up to this past year.

I cannot believe a year has gone by! I truthfully have had fun being a part of this team and I look forward to more years to come.

I can feel summer slipping away as playoff baseball heats up. One thing is for sure, the St. Louis Cardinals are anything but hot.

While the Padres are enjoying a first place battle, within less than two week the Cards completely took themselves out of contention. I was home in St. Louis over Labor Day for a while and watched a game that would have put the Cardinals, Brewers and Cubs in a three-way tie for the National League Central Division. Instead, they lost that game and then just about the next ten in a row. Lame.

The team was looking promising with a resurgence of stronger pitching about a month ago. Now eight games back with only eleven left to play, I am officially giving up hope.

It might be time to use the line the Chicago Cubs have been saying for 98 years: There's always next season. 

(Side note: I'm not convinced the Cubs won't lose it again this year. People say that Steve Bartman has since moved away from Chicago, but I'm pretty sure I've seen him prowling around Wrigleyville late in the season )

"I think it was Carl Yastrzemski who used to say, `How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?' I'd be in my late 20s or early 30s, because that's how I feel,"

~Mike Flynt, 59-year-old and most recent addition to Sul Ross State's football team

!http://active.typepad.com/teamsports/images/2007/08/30/mikeflynt.jpg|title=Mikeflynt|height=95|style=margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; float: left;|alt=Mikeflynt|width=100|src=http://active.typepad.com/teamsports/images/2007/08/30/mikeflynt.jpg|border=0!As we gear up for football season--this is amazing, impressive, and maybe a little crazy!

Mike Flynt recently recounted his biggest regret in life as getting kicked off the college team before his senior year. And at age 59, he has now decided to do something about it!

Finding out he was still eligible, Flynt returned to Sul Ross State this month, 37 years after he left and could be in action as soon as September 1. His comeback peaked last week with the coach saying he's made the Division III team's roster.

It made me wonder what I would like to make a "comeback" in... and I think I'd go back and stick with soccer. Anyone else have any plans for an inspiring comeback?

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness" - Mark Twain

Now that summer is officially here (as of 1:06pm CST yesterday!) I'm ready to start crossing items off of my list of things to do and see this season. After reading the featured story in the Outdoor section, "[Next weekend: Freedomland U.S.A.: Twelve trips -- tailor-made for right now -- in the land of outdoor opportunity|http://a2.active.com/outdoors/Articles/Next_weekend__Freedomland_U_S_A_.htm]," I'm looking forward more than ever to a summer full of adventures and road trips.

I'll be visiting Portland to pay a visit to a former teammate of mine and to Mt. Hood, Wyoming to check out Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park, Oklahoma city to catch the World Cup of Softball, and Wisconsin to explore - if I make it back to Devil's Lake this summer, I'll try clipping in at Stetners Rock as recommended in the article. I've also always wanted to attempt the Berryman Trail in the Missouri Ozarks. The Ozarks are not too far from my home in St. Louis; one of my trips back to visit I'll get down there and give it a shot. I'll be blogging about my travel experiences, among other things, so check back if you are interested