Matt LaFleur’s trip to Denver with the Green Bay Packers allowed him a chance to reminisce about one of the key mentors who helped him become an NFL head coach.

LaFleur took his entire team Thursday night to Shanahan’s Steakhouse before the Packers held a joint practice Friday with the Broncos at the team’s practice facility in Dove Valley. The two teams will play an exhibition game Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High.

Mike Shanahan is coaching royalty in this city. He’s also one of the most important figures in LaFleur’s life.

“Coach Shanahan has had a tremendous impact (on me),” LaFleur said. “He gave me my first position job in 2010 with Washington as the quarterbacks coach. I learned so much from him, not only X’s and O’s-wise, but how to manage a staff. The attention to detail he would put into it was like nobody I’ve ever been around. All of us, when you look back on it, we’ve had a lot of guys that have gone on to be head coaches, and I think it’s because we learned the right way from Coach Shanahan.”

LaFleur is 56-27 as the Packers coach, leading the team to a pair of NFC championship appearances in his five seasons. Long before he became one of the most successful young head coaches in the NFL, he was part of one of the most famous staffs in recent league history.

He was quarterbacks coach for Washington with Shanahan from 2010 to ’13. In both the 2012 and 2013 seasons, Shanahan’s coaching staff had five future NFL head coaches on it: Kyle Shanahan was the offensive coordinator; Sean McVay coached the tight ends; Raheem Morris was the defensive backs coach; and Mike McDaniel was an offensive assistant.

Washington won the NFC East in 2012 with rookie Robert Griffin III at quarterback but went 3-13 the following year. Jay Gruden replaced the elder Shanahan as head coach, and LaFleur spent 2014 as quarterbacks coach at Notre Dame before returning to the NFL and eventually being named Packers head coach in 2019.

Shanahan, who has been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the coach/contributor category in both 2022 and 2023, was not at the dinner. LaFleur said he had a prior commitment.

“I’ve never been around someone who could focus as long as he could. I remember, back in 2012, when we were getting ready (for the draft). We knew we were going to draft Robert Griffin and we were getting ready to implement the zone read,” LaFleur said. “We didn’t want to talk to anybody around the league about it.

“He would just sit in there for hours. We had this cut-up that was a couple hundred plays long. It was Baylor’s offense. It was the Carolina Panthers with Cam Newton. It was Denver, with what they were doing with (Tim) Tebow. I’ll never forget. … We would watch it all, and we’d be in there for a couple of hours, and everybody is somewhat exhausted from the process and he’s like, ‘Yeah, let’s run it back to the top.’ We all looked at each other like, ‘How is this guy still doing this?’ He had some stamina when it came to watching tape. He was so thorough in the draft process with how he evaluated players.

“I think there were just a ton of lessons that we took from our time there.”

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Originally Published: August 16, 2024 at 5:12 p.m.

A Denver resident has West Nile virus, and the local health department urged the public to drain standing water and take other precautions.

The Denver Department of Public Health and Environment didn’t share any information about the person, who was the first in the city with a confirmed West Nile case this year.

Typically, only people with more severe illnesses get tested for West Nile, because most infected people either don’t get sick or have general flu-like symptoms. In the worst cases, the virus invades the nervous system, sometimes causing coma or death.

The department had urged caution in early August when it found mosquitoes infected with West Nile in the city. People can protect themselves by:

• Throwing out water that gathered in items on their property, such as flower pots and toys, and cleaning those items

• Avoiding hitting sidewalks and driveways while watering their lawns, because pools can form in uneven pavement

• Using insect repellent with DEET during outdoor activities

• Making sure door and window screens are in good repair

• Avoiding outdoor activities at dawn and dusk

• Wearing long pants and sleeves when outside

Arapahoe County reported the first case in the state in late June, marking an early start to the West Nile season. The season hasn’t been particularly severe so far: 13 people have tested positive, including seven who needed hospital care, but none has died, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The state’s data doesn’t yet include the Denver case.

Jefferson, Larimer, Weld, Delta, Kit Carson, La Plata and Mesa counties have also reported cases.

Last year, 634 people tested positive for West Nile and 51 died, making it the worst year for both infections and deaths since 2003.

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After four years in various front-of-house restaurant positions, I applied at the then-Kimpton Hotel Born. I worked there for five years, with three as the beverage manager for the entire hotel property.

Denver is my hometown

I grew up in a suburb just west of the city and moved to the downtown area when I was 19. Denver has professional sports, a world-class performing arts center, a dynamic restaurant scene, and diverse cultural festivals, but the culture is still extremely connected to the natural wonders of the state. People who live in Colorado love being outdoors.

However, the secret is out. In the last 10 years, the influx of people moving to Denver has impacted traffic, the cost of living, and the sustainability of urban growth.

In November 2022, I attended one of Kimpton’s internal conferences

One night, during a social event, I sat with one of our corporate directors of restaurant openings. As I was telling him about my travel background, my fluency in Spanish, and my willingness to move, he just asked me out of nowhere, “Would you be willing to go to Roatán?” Without hesitation, I said, “Yes!”

One month later, we discussed the details of the property and the job, which offered a comparable salary to my Denver position. I would receive a relocation package, onboarding support, and work visa assistance. In February 2023, I made plans to pack up and move.

I was excited but also nervous about moving across the world, sight unseen, by myself. I was sad to be moving away from my hometown and my friends, family, and professional community. Still, I was happy and proud for taking a leap of faith.

I got rid of everything in my small apartment

What I could, I sold, gave away, or donated, and I stored the rest at my best friend’s dad’s house. I brought two suitcases and a backpack with me here.

Once I arrived, I stayed on the property for a few months, which gave me a nice landing pad and time to figure out permanent housing and transportation. The property market is geared toward vacation homes and short-term rentals, but with the help of my local coworkers and diligent prowling of Facebook groups and ads, I found something decent.

Rent in Roatán is cheaper than in Denver, but it varies. I live in a two-bedroom apartment on a quiet hill above one of the main towns, 15 minutes from work, with plenty of space for friends and family to come visit. My rent is $1,200 a month, and cable, hot water, a parking space, and a washer/dryer are included. I also bought a car.

In Roatán, life is completely different

In Denver, I would pack my days with a morning trail run, errands, a matinée at the theater, and dinner with a friend at a new restaurant. Driving 100 miles daily from one small adventure to the next wouldn’t be uncommon.

Here, the island itself is only 35 miles long. There’s no movie theater, bowling alley, or mall, but only a few discotecas and a handful of decent restaurants. My leisure time has become more slowly paced and centers on scuba diving, reading a book by the pool, or a sunset cruise on the water.

I had never been comfortable in the ocean and didn’t like seafood much before moving. I’ve overcome my fear of the water and its creatures and became someone who now compulsively jumps off boats.

When I first arrived, I struggled with loneliness and boredom

I spent many days and nights feeling alone, questioning what I was doing with my life and why I was putting myself through this. However, I have no problems sitting at a bar alone watching sports or chatting with my neighbor. Although it took longer, I’ve made some good friends outside work.

What I love most about Roatán is the people. Their innate warmth and hospitality, love for visitors and each other, and a genuine sense of community and mutual care make me want to never leave.

I still get island fever, but making regular trips to get off the island has helped. La Ceiba is just a quick flight or ferry across the channel. Miami is also an easy direct flight away and fills my city needs with a little nightlife and shopping. I’ve also visited San Pedro Sula on Honduras’ mainland for work and events, and the culinary scene there is bustling.

Moving abroad is hard

There have been many cultural differences to navigate: communication styles differ, time is perceived much more relatively, and language and how people relate to one another are more personal. But for me, the most shocking change was environmental: going from high altitude to being at sea level, from snow to beach.

The bug bites were terrible initially, but my body has adjusted, and they don’t bother me as much anymore. Regulating my body temperature was hard at first, too, but over time, I got used to sweating and drinking more water. After a while, you get used to sand being everywhere.

The girl who spent every Sunday at the theater is now eating fried chicken on the side of the road in a faraway village, listening to punta music, and watching the sun dip far away into the horizon. My ability to adapt, grow, and change continues to surprise me.

My contract doesn’t have a set timeframe, so I’ll stay as long as there are opportunities for me to grow in my career and have a good work-life balance so I can enjoy the island life.

Want to share your relocation story? Email Lauryn Haas @lhaas@businessinsider.com