Day 2 -- HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

The big hat @ Disney's Hollywood Studios!

Sunday morning dawned gray and cool... and VERY windy!

We knew that there was a forecast for rain, so we changed our plans from "Animal Kingdom" where almost everything is outside, to "Disney's Hollywood Studios" (formerly Disney MGM), where almost everything is inside.

But we did keep our reservations for an early lunch at RAINFOREST CAFE at the Animal Kingdom and it was so cool! I loved it as much as the kids. :)

Raisha checking out the HUGE fish tanks near the entrance.

Nadia & Natasha listening to the "thunder" and the animals coming "alive."

Natasha & Raisha near the waterfall...
Many of these pictures were taken with my phone, so please forgive their quality.

After lunch, we headed over to Hollywood Studios.
What started out as a gray, dreary day was turning sunny and beautiful and COLD.
It was downright chilly!

We walked around a bit and did the usual stuff
(Muppets 3D, Star Tours, Great Movie Ride)
and picked up fast passes for Rockin' RollerCoaster for Natasha and myself.
But then we saw THIS:

ESPN was hosting "ESPN: The Weekend" special
at Hollywood Studios and guess who was there???

Just guess.

Ok, I'll tell you.
CURT SCHILLING and
(my personal favorite) SCOTTIE PIPPEN!

Wait, it gets even better:
They were hosting a televised, special, all-star edition of
"Stump the Schwab"
(one of Clay's absolute favorite shows on ESPN)
and we were going to be in the live audience!

Waiting for the show to start...

There are the contestants with their star-partners!

Scottie Pippen is on the far left (for you poor souls who were not loyal Bulls fans)
And Curt Schilling (awesome Red Sox pitcher) is in the middle wearing the baseball cap.

I love Scottie 1) because he was part of the awesome Jordan-Pippen team that made the Chicago Bulls dominant for so long, but also because:
2) He went to my alma mater! Just a couple of years before I attended there, Scottie graduated from UCA -- University of Central Arkansas!
How cool is that?

Scottie and some poor, hapless dude who didn't know any of the answers. =(
They lost.

Curt Schilling & his partner had equally bad luck. They lost, too. =(

The "Schwab" himself & believe it or not, we actually saw him stumped!

Ice cream stand at Hollywood Studios -- notice the "smoke"
coming from its nostrils?

Natasha & I rode Rockin' RollerCoaster TWICE -- It was awesome!!

We wrapped up the evening with dinner at the 50's Prime Time Cafe where Nadia became the favored pet of our waitress, Elizabeth.
If you've never been to the Prime Time Cafe, you really should try it.

The food is good (not awesome, but good), and the atmosphere is VERY entertaining!

The decor is all 1950's and there are black & white TVs everywhere showing old clips of famous 50's sitcoms.
But even funnier is the way the staff treats the clientele.
The treat you, literally, like one of the family.

And you'd better keep your elbows off the table
and finish everything on your plate!
And if you don't, you will be publicly shamed and made to sing "I'm a Little Teapot" as the poor girl behind us did.
I don't know if I've ever had such a fun dining experience.
NADIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (inside joke)