Katie Hyatt read her horoscope in the paper last month and was told to expect a windfall. So when the Pittsford woman won $500 on a lottery ticket, she thought the prediction had come true. It was just the beginning. Hyatt, 41, and her partner, Erik Johnson, 37, were introduced by lottery officials Tuesday as winners of a $2 million prize.

Hyatt, who works downtown as a repair supervisor for a phone company, said she usually buys some lottery tickets every other Friday, when she gets paid.

After winning the $500 prize, she bought four $10 tickets, one of each game available at Gleason's Tobacco in Midtown Plaza. She returned to work, where she scratched them off.

On the last ticket, she uncovered a coin, which indicates a winner, with "jackpot" listed as the prize.

"I kept looking at it. I didn't believe it was real," she said.

She called Johnson to tell him the news. "I didn't believe her," he said. "I know she knew what she was doing, but until you see it for yourself ... "

The couple kept the ticket in a security box for two weeks.

"We didn't know what to do," Johnson said.

They kept their win a secret, except to consult with an accountant and tax attorney.

They told relatives about their win just prior to the Tuesday news conference.

Both Hyatt and Johnson, who is a self-employed telecommunications supervisor, say they will continue to work.

The couple bought a playground for their two children, ages 2 and 5, and plan to establish a trust fund for the children's education.

And they'll take a nice vacation somewhere. Maybe an annual vacation.

"It's a relief," Hyatt said. "We know the kids will be taken care of."

And Hyatt vows to continue scratching off lottery tickets.

"It's fun," she said.

The couple will receive 20 annual payments of $100,000, minus taxes.