A Mercer Island resident had the weekend of a lifetime after winning an all-expense-paid trip to the Seahawks playoff game last Sunday.

Melinda Oberg, who grew up on the Island and now works as a para-pro at Lakeridge Elementary, was one of two winners of the special package put together by Washington Lottery.

To win, Oberg purchased two $5 Seahawks Scratcher tickets at the Southcenter Mall last Wednesday afternoon, after standing in line along with about 400 others who also entered the drawing.

“I didn’t even realize they were calling my name,” she said, as she typically goes by Mindi, but put down Melinda on the entry. She said she and friend Alan Waite, who attend the game with her, were on the second level when the announcement was made and had to rush down the escalator to claim the prize.

“There were all these people in a crowd and it was just like the sea parted and a lady came and grabbed my hand, saying she was with the Seahawks,” said Oberg. “I was like is this happening?”

Oberg’s name was drawn along with Cindy Williams, earning them airfare and a hotel for two nights along with tickets to the game between the Redskins and the Hawks on Sunday in Washington, D.C.

“It was great,” she said of the trip and the game. “The first quarter, we were a little nervous, but I had my Skittles out. It was quite the experience for three days.”

She and Waite attended the game in D.C., getting the chance to sightsee a little, while wearing Seahawks garb, before heading to the stadium.

“We were happy to see our seats were surrounded by Seahawks,” said Oberg. “It was nice to have them around to high-five. We actually ran into a guy I graduated from Mercer Island with, who had seats down near the field, so we got to go down there and see it. We saw Pete Carroll out playing catch.”

The Seahawks won the game, 24-14, and advance to play the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday in a 10 a.m. game to air on Q13 FOX.