Matt Clark thought he bought all the fixings for his famous breakfast enchiladas. Cheese. Bell Peppers. Sausage. Eggs. Bacon bits.

But by the time the retired 56-year-old UPS driver unloaded the groceries at his Grants Pass home, he realized he’d forgotten the essential ingredient: tortillas.

His wife, Kateri, offered to go back for round two, but Clark said he had it covered.

It’s a good thing he went, because on the second trip to the grocery store Dec. 23, Clark returned with a winning $250,000 lottery ticket in hand.

“It’s just a matter of being in the right place at the right time,” he said in an interview.

Clark makes a week’s worth of breakfast delights for Kateri every Sunday. She works at a local call center. Being retired, he’s got the time to do it.

“I want to make sure she has something to eat in the morning,” he said.

Sometimes it’s quiche. Sometimes it’s breakfast enchiladas.

Clark’s Sunday tradition includes a little reward for himself for making the excursion into society. He always buys a lottery ticket at the store. On the first failed trip – the one with a cart absent of tortillas – he bought a $20 scratch-it.

He came up empty.

On the fateful trip for the Mission-brand tortillas, Clark decided once again to buy a $20 scratch-it ticket.

He got in his truck and pulled out the ticket. This time, he’d won $25,000 per year for 10 years.

It was a tough drive home, trying to focus on the road.

Once there, Clark made the enchiladas.

The couple opted for the $175,000 lump sum option instead of spacing out the $25,000 lottery payments over a decade.

On Wednesday, Clark deposited $119,000 into the couple’s account, after taxes.

They plan to remodel the kitchen in their Josephine County home, and there’s talk of an Alaska cruise in their future.

This Sunday, Clark will go to the grocery store and get breakfast supplies for Kateri’s work week. He’ll buy another lottery ticket, too.

“It’ll probably be burritos,” he said of next week’s menu.

You’ve got to change it up, he said.

He’ll remember the tortillas this time.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen

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