Tim and Kendolyn Elliot, who currently live in Medicine Hat, just won close to $25 million and picked up their check at the Medidine Hat Lodge on Friday afternoon. The Elliot’s are planning to retire with their winnings. US lottery

For four days, Tim Elliott had almost $25 million in the corner of his wallet and he didn’t even know about it. And it all started two weeks ago while picking up oil rig parts. That day he decided to buy four lottery tickets from a southeast Calgary gas station.

That Saturday, the winning numbers were announced, but Elliott wasn’t paying attention to the multimillion-dollar jackpot announcement. Instead, he continued working as he took a training course – near Edmonton – for his position as a manager.

When he finished, he decided to stop for gas, on his way home in Leduc, just south of Edmonton and that’s when everything changed for Tim and his wife.

“I freaked out,” he said. “I was shaking. I had to get the hell out of the store, I had to leave,” he said Friday from Medicine Hat.

“I went back to my hotel . . . and phoned my wife. She didn’t believe me,” he said. Lottery results

“I had to state it a number of times that I’d won before she kinda believed me.”

After that, he decided and quit his job.

Elliott’s wife, Kendy, on the other hand, had no reason to doubt their good luck on Friday as they were handed the check for the winnings in Medicine Hat.

The Elliot’s are planning to buy two houses, one in the south for winter and another in the B.C. Okanagan for the summer.

“I’m not going to buy a Ferrari or anything stupid like that, it’s not for me,” he said.

As for travel, Tim Elliott has already spent time abroad through his work, so that’s out of the question for him. Still, he’s not quite sure how he’d like to spend the money yet.

“I did OK for myself and have pretty much anything I wanted.”

One good thing, the cash should take the pressure off their retirement savings, Elliott said. But he and his wife are wary and understand the pitfalls of their new-found luck.

“I’m sure there’s going to be all kinds of crap I never, ever expected,” he said. “With that kind of money, many weirdos may be coming out of the woodwork, friends I haven’t seen in 20 years.”

Elliott said he’s going to enjoy his free time, for now, but he doesn’t know how much that will last.

“I love my job and I’ll probably end up going back working for them in one position or another. At this point in time, winning $25 million, I have no need to be dealing with work, whatsoever.”

Still, the former manager said he’s spoken to the vice-president of his old company.

“He said any time I want to come back, I can.”

Congratulations to the Elliot’s!