She screamed and then she laughed and he tried to calm her down and then they went and picked up a cool million dollars. That's life, so far, for Estevan's newest millionaires Leah and Mike Kraus. Their dreams became a reality, said the Saskatchewan Lotteries representatives who spoke with the Krauses when they went to Regina to pick up their winnings last week. Their $100 Million Fortune ticket on the Scratch 'N Win game, purchased by Leah for $10 from Henders Price Watchers Drugs, proved to be a life-changing buy for the couple. "We had just come home from supper. I was standing in the kitchen, scratching the tickets," said Leah. "I saw three identical $1,000,000 symbols, and knew exactly what it meant. I grabbed my reading glasses to make sure, and then started to scream," she said with a laugh. Mike was in the garage and came in when he heard the commotion. "I saw the ticket in her hand, but she was speechless, so I tried to calm her down." They took the ticket back to Henders to have the win confirmed and that moved Mike Kraus from a point of denial to one of happy acceptance. "I was just hoping it was true," he said about the experience up to that point. "We both used the Ticket Checker a few times, and couldn't believe our eyes, so we gave the ticket to the clerk to validate," said Leah. "Lo and behold - it was a winner," said Mike. "My legs were weak so I had to ask for a chair. My face is still sore from smiling so much." So what are they going to do with the money? The Krauses say they're planning on paying some bills and will put a good portion of the winnings in the bank for an early retirement. "The rest will be fun money," said Leah. "We want to do lots of travelling. We actually had just returned from Las Vegas the day before I bought this ticket, and I hadn't won anything. I guess you have to come back to Saskatchewan to win! But if it can happen to us, it can happen to anyone. You just never know." "The biggest thrill is being able to help anyone in our family that needs it," added Mike. "We have a good life. Every day is a lottery win for us." This is a second major win for Leah who was part of a $200,000 win in the Lucky Lines Extravaganza that she shared with other members of her family earlier this year.
