BOISE, Idaho ÔÇô Martine Nelson and her husband Brad are like many people in Idaho, living day-to-day and paycheck to paycheck. Two days ago that changed. That night, Nelson told her husband she was tired after a long day and wanted to get some sleep around 8:30 at night. Her husband then told her she needed to make a trip to Boise and that she might want to leave right then.

"That's when he showed me the $250,000 winning ticket. I signed the ticket, stuck it in my purse and we left for Boise," recounted a tired Nelson who said she never let her purse out of her sight the entire night until she reached Lottery Headquarters Thursday morning. "It was a really long drive. And then I didn't sleep all night long once we got to Boise."

Her husband purchased the ticket at Speedi Mart on Anderson in Idaho Falls on his way home after getting off work early Wednesday evening. For their part in selling the winning ticket, and verifying that it was the big winner, Speedi Mart received a $20,000 bonus from the Idaho Lottery.

Nelson was the fourth top prize winner on the Scratch GameTM Idaho Millions from the Idaho Lottery. There are two, $250,000 top prizes remaining in the game. Nelson also becomes the second largest Lottery winner from Idaho Falls.

"I'm still having a hard time believing it," admitted Nelson, a stay-at-home mom putting herself through college. She has lived with her husband and raised her family in Idaho Falls since 1989.

The Nelson family has been renting the same house in Idaho Falls for the past six years, but hope their windfall will enable them to purchase and own their home.

When she received her actual check at Lottery Headquarters, Nelson tucked it into her trusty purse for safekeeping for the long drive back home. "I hope the drive goes faster on the way back than it did getting here," she said with a happy smile.

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