For a couple from Browns Summit, claiming a Carolina Cash 5 jackpot worth more than half a million dollars puts an exclamation point on a week that was special – even before they won the lottery.

Wednesday John and Lisa Loftis celebrated her birthday. Then, over the weekend, they renewed their vows before loved ones for their one-year wedding anniversary. Monday they arrived at lottery headquarters to collect the $514,153 jackpot they won in Thursday’s drawing.

John is a crew leader for a powerline construction company and Lisa is a retired CNA. With their after-tax winnings of $357,342, the Triad-area natives say they’re finally going on the Las Vegas vacation they always dreamed about. And, John added, there is one other item on the list to check off.

“We’re going to have a mortgage-burning party,” he said.

They purchased the winning ticket at the Browns Summit Shell station on N.C. 150 in their home town.

Nightly Carolina Cash 5 drawings are held at 11:22 p.m. Jackpots start at $50,000 and grow until one or more tickets beat odds of 1 in 749,398 to match all five numbers to win the jackpot. Monday’s jackpot is $131,000.

Ticket sales make it possible for the lottery to raise more than half a billion dollars a year for education. To see how the funds support specific programs in every county, visit nclottery.com and click on the “For Education” page.