And though the North Carolina-based pair successfully navigated themselves through the streets of Glasgow, Bonifacio and Thessaloniki, getting those two $500,000 checks into their savings account was a comedy of errors.
“He was so excited, he ripped it open,” Kim recalled of her husband of 19 years. “So we had to drive to the bank and, like, tape it.”
From there, though, they followed their game plan to a T, even holding off on replacing Penn’s car because they didn’t want to get too crazy with their prize money.
Instead, “we paid taxes,” said Kim. Another 30 percent they donated and shared, and roughly 28 percent was set aside for their daughter Lola17, and son Penn Charles14, to attend college. “And I think that left us with just under 10 grand.”
Which is when they realized the world was waiting for them. And so, continued Kim, “We took the kids on a trip to France last year.”