RALEIGH –Catherine Harris, an engineer from Raleigh, said on the morning of Feb. 11 she woke up with a feeling that it was going to be a great day.

“I can’t explain it,” Harris said. “I’ve never had a feeling like that before. I just felt lucky. Then I heard on the radio that the jackpot was really big and decided to stop for gas. Then I called my brothers and told them both that I was going to win the lottery today and asked if they wanted to buy tickets with me. They agreed and then we played the waiting game until that night’s drawing.”

Jon Janshego, an engineer from Peabody, Mass., said that he was texting back and forth with his siblings in the moments leading up to the drawing. A little while afterward, he received a text from Catherine that read “OMG”.

“I kept waiting for her to say something else and then I finally just called her to see what was going on,” Jon said. “It still hasn’t hit me that we won.”

Brian Janshego, an engineer who also lives in Raleigh, said he found it difficult to believe his sister when she finally told him what they’d won. She told her brother that they had matched all five numbers in that night’s drawing to win $1 million.

“You know how siblings can be,” Brian said. “But she promised me that it was true. The whole experience has been outstanding. This makes things a whole lot more comfortable.”

“I still start shaking whenever I think about it,” Catherine said. “It’s a pretty life-changing thing for me.”

Each sibling claimed a $333,333 share of the winnings, which came to $230,833 after required state and federal withholdings. Catherine plans to use her share to pay off her home and save for retirement. Brian said he will use the money to save for the future and buy some yoga shorts. Jon plans to use his share to pay for his daughters’ college education.

Harris purchased the lucky $2 ticket, which beat odds of 1 in 5.1 million, at the Quality Mart on Beryl Road in Raleigh. It was one of two tickets that won a $1 million prize in the drawing in North Carolina.

“I’ve felt like a lottery winner for a long time now,” Brian said as he collected his share of the winnings. “I have a wonderful family and I’m so happy to share this with them.”

Ticket sales made it possible for the lottery to raise more than half a billion for the state last year. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference for specific education programs across North Carolina and in Wake County, click on the “Where the Money Goes” tab on the lottery’s website.