Carl Mitchell still picks his favorite numbers here weekly. But, he's not the type to watch the winning numbers roll out each drawing. He said he got the feeling he'd won in the most unlikely place.
Carl and Lulu Mitchell are the Valley's latest Powerball multi-millionaires. They chose the lump sum payout which, after taxes, will drop their winnings to $123.4 million.
"This could be a blessing, this could be a curse, Carl said. "You don't know at this point, we'll find out."
Taking about two weeks to step forward, the couple is clearly shy about the lotto payout. They even asked Action News and other news outlets to keep their faces off TV and the internet.
"I've had some things that I always kicked around that I'd like to do," Carl said. "Maybe I might pick one of those and venture into it."
"I always wanted to fly," Carl joked. They've also said one or many vacation homes will be in order.
Carl was at a regular appointment at the hospital when he realized at least three of his numbers were drawn.
And in sticking with the Powerball motto: Believe in Something Bigger, these church regulars are giving to their favorite ministries.
"I want to thank our Lord from above for making this possible for us, first of all, Lulu said. "Without his help we would not be here."
The Mitchells plan to also take care of immediate family and close friends.
"We really have no plans of going any place else," Carl said. "This is home," Lulu added.
The Mitchells are already getting harassing phone calls from real estate investors, financial planners and others Carl says are only interested in their money.
Their lump sum check won't arrive until sometime later this year.
