Introducing Chelsea Fristoe…A Future Lansing Mom

Greetings! I’m Chelsea Fristoe, one of the latest additions to the Lansing Mom team. I live with my wife and our assorted pets in the heart of Lansing. I am a former roller derby girl with a big heart and a love for adventure.

About Me

I grew up in Lafayette, Indiana with my parents and younger sister, Taylor. I graduated from Purdue University with a BA in communication and came to Michigan State University to earn my MA in communication. I originally wanted to continue in academia to follow my amazing grandmother’s footsteps. My grandmother, Macalyne Fristoe, is a pioneer in her field, speech pathology and audiology, and co-authored the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation, which is the gold standard for pediatric speech assessments. She later went on to be a professor and my personal hero. I could talk about her for days, but I will refrain. I ended up not pursuing my PhD for a few reasons and, instead, went into the corporate communication field. I now work at Jackson National Life doing communication work in their IT department and LOVE it.

Marriage, Home Improvement, and Fur Babies…Oh My!

My amazing wife, Ariana, and I met like any good millennials—on the internet. We quickly bonded over our love for animals, travel, and really good food, and it’s been a whirlwind ever since! We’ve been together close to four years. Ariana is a pediatric speech therapist at the University of Michigan for kids who have cochlear implants. It’s been fun keeping speech pathology in the family. I may or may not have name-dropped my grandmother on our first date.

Ariana and I got married last October in an outdoor ceremony in front of our family and friends. Our wedding was PERFECT and everything we both dreamed. When we aren’t taking on giant home improvement projects, we love traveling, spending time outdoors, and eating. We are self-identified foodies and can help you find the best restaurant of any kind in just about any city.

We have spent the past two years renovating our 1927 colonial-style home in Moore’s Park (near REOtown) in Lansing. We certainly didn’t set out to be weekend warriors, but this house had other plans for us. It seems like every time we turn around, something else is breaking and needing replaced. And, of course, it’s all the big stuff. We often joke that this house is going to be a new build by the time we’re done with it. That joke is becoming a little too real—most recently we had to replace ALL of the plumbing in our house. As frustrating and expensive as it’s been, we have learned a ton and we absolutely love our house.

Panda Dog and Gatsby

Our family currently consists of our two rescue dogs, Sydney aka Panda (13) and Juno (6); four cats, Gatsby (13), Kitty Perry (12), Lacey (13), and Poe (2). Yes, we are crazy animal people and we wouldn’t have it any other way. But we are trying to grow our family…

Becoming Moms

Earlier this year, Ariana and I began our greatest adventure yet. We had planned to start our fertility journey in the spring, but COVID made that impossible. Everything shut down the same month that we would have done our first try at pregnancy. The fertility specialist (University of Michigan) that we are working with re-opened last month, so we are officially making strides toward growing our family! This journey has already proven to be challenging, so I will have a LOT to share over the coming months. Wish us luck as we navigate this process (during a pandemic, nonetheless)!

To read more about Chelsea’s fertility journey on Lansing Mom, check out One Minute at a Time: Navigating Fertility Through a Pandemic.

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