Like millions of Americans we woke up this morning to the glaring reality that we were not millionaires.  Not even close.  Our chance was  1 in 176 million.  Yesterday the convenience store I stopped in was packed with Mega Millions hopefuls so I didn’t even bother picking meaningful numbers.  I joined them because I’m a money grubbing whore like everyone else I want to support schools in our state by participating in the North Carolina Education Lottery.  I just gave the clerk 10 dollars and got my 10 random, yet ultimately unlucky number combinations.

I tucked the little paper in my purse before Greyson and I headed out for a date night.  This of course sparked the what-we-would-do-if-we-won-640-million-dollars conversation.  “After taxes it would be ONLY about 300 million,” I reminded him.  Greyson chuckled at my naivite at exactly how much fortune that is.

This is what we would have done if we had won:

1. Get legal representation and financial advice pronto.  I am a Dave Ramsey fan.  (Seriously.  I listen to his show nearly every day.  I love hearing about  how people get out of crazy debt.  I know, he’d kill me for playing the lottery, but whatever.)  I told Greyson we would have to fly to Nashville to meet Dave Ramsey.  He was saying on his show Thursday that big time lottery winners often lose everything and have a very high divorce rate.  We would need to devise a plan on what we would invest in and how we would save.  I’d also want us to get marriage counseling as this  would change our whole lives.
2. Do the obligatory media interviews and press conference.  I don’t have a problem with doing satellite interviews with CNN and talking with all my former local news colleagues.  No doubt someone at some network would be so enchanted with our charming little family that we would be offered a reality TV show.  Greyson and I agreed, no reality TV.  It’s bad enough that we’re instant gagillionaires.  We need our privacy, people!
3. Set up college funds for Charlotte and Baby Version 2.0 so they can go anywhere they like.  Except Alabama.  Or Duke.  (War Eagle!  Go Tar Heels!)
4. Pay off this house and buy another.  We’d still live here in Raleigh and rent this one.  We’d also like to invest in other real estate.  We would then buy a house at the beach.
5. Pay off debts of our family members.  I don’t want my sister and brother-in-law, nor my step-brother or step sister to have any student loan debt.  We would only pay debts once, though.
6. Trips!  We’d have an awesome family vacation.  Then Greyson and I would head to somewhere exotic and remote for a week or two.  (Yes, just a week or two.  I’m not gonna be that far from my baby for that long no matter how rich I am.)  
7. Buy new sunglasses.  I just need some and I know I’ll want to spend more than necessary.

As it got down to the drawing last night I got more and more worried we would actually win.  (Shut up!  I hear you laughing!)  Seriously.  I feel like I’m so unbelievebly blessed in my life I don’t want to mess it up.  We always want more “things” like new sunglasses, but honestly I have everything I could really want.

My odds of meeting Greyson and having Charlotte were more than 1 in 176 million.  I already hit the jackpot.

Cha-ching!