I owe you an apology. Reading “”Letters from Mal”” each week must put a true damper on your cheery spirit. Bringing you down is not my intention; I just like to keep it real. You should know, though, that I am not as heinous as it seems, or maybe I should say that I am not always as heinous as it seems. Yes, I have the tendency to be cynical, bitter and judgmental, but that doesn’t mean I am destined to be a crazy, crotchety cat woman.

Beneath my sarcasm and snarky remarks, I am a happy person just like you. So rather than sipping on my regular haterade this week, I have decided to channel my favorite blog, The Rockstar Diaries, and share 10 things that make me truly happy.  

Mal’s happy list

1. Bike rides in the rain

2. French fries — you know when you were little and someone would say “”I love insert inanimate object”” and you replied with, “”then why don’t you marry it?”” Well, let it be known that if I could marry French fries, I would.

3. Skyping with friends in faraway lands … or as close as California

4. Pretending I am the next Martha Stewart with my party planning and craftiness

5. Love — stories, letters, songs. I love love

6. Sunday Funday BBQs with good beer and even better friends

7. “”Winning, duh.””

8. Knowing that the best is yet to come

9. My sisters. They may not be as smart as your siblings (I am not lying when I say they thought that “”shrill”” is what vegetables do when they get old), but they are infinitely cooler than yours

10. Making up songs about my daily life/activities to the tune of “”Pants on the Ground””

Even more important to me than my own happiness, is the happiness of those around me. To prove it, I interviewed a few of everyone’s favorite Wildcats to see what puts a smile on their faces. Who knew I had the capacity to be happy and nice in one week? Anyway, here’s what they had to say:

UA football quarterback Nick Foles’ happy list

1. My faith in God

2. Going to bible study with my teammates

3. My family and friends

4. Playing a variety of sports

5. Singing in the shower

6. Watching movies

7. Being at the beach so I can boogie board

8. Playing with my dogs

9. Mentoring kids

10. Dancing at weddings

ASUA President Emily Fritze’s happy list

1. Karaoke. Anywhere. Anytime.

2. The first cup of coffee in the morning. The last cup of coffee in the evening

3. Whistling

4. Driving with the windows down, wind blowing, music blaring

5. Belly laughs

6. Reading. Not for class. Just for fun. (Currently David Brooks’ “”The Social

Animal””)

7. The UA Mall at dusk, students sprawled out on the grass with Frisbees and

books in hand

8. My snooze button

9. Uninhibited, limb sprawling dancing

10. Genuine people with high hopes and big ideas

UA softball center fielder Lauren Schutzler’s happy list

1. Starbucks, and the smell of coffee in the morning

2. My bulldog, Bruno, and his adorable wrinkles

3. Laughing at people who ask a question about something the professor just covered

4. Dancing really ridiculously to make my boyfriend as uncomfortable as possible

5. Food, food and more food (especially fast Mexican food at 2:30 a.m.)

6. King Curtis from “”Wife Swap”” and his famous line, “”Bacon is good for me!””

7. Working out and being sweaty. Weird, I know, but how can you not be happy about that?

8. “”Teen Mom”” 1 and 2, “”Real Housewives,”” “”Pretty Little Liars”” and “”Make it or Break It,”” especially while lying in bed

9. The feeling of being done with a huge test you just spent a week studying for, and knowing you’re going out this weekend, guilt free

10. “”I like turtles.””

No matter how busy or stressed you might be, take time out of your day to acknowledge what makes you happy. If nothing else, you should be happy you are not an ASU Sun Devil. Am I right?

—Mallory Hawkins is a communication senior. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.