Bettering myself and seeking friendship (also getting to know me)

Hi, I'm Desarae. I'm 23 and mother to two beautiful girls, aged 7 and 3. I became a mother very young and have been pretty out of shape ever since. At 16 (right after) having my first daughter, I was hospitalized for what was later determined as "post pardum pre eclampsia". I had a stroke/heart attack combo and upon admission, ran a blood pressure of 201/122. I spiraled into a depression and because the doctors were not too enthusiastic about me making it out (they couldn't figure out the cause. Believed it to be some sort of tumor in my brain) we were planning my funeral. Finally after 3 months, and a D and C later, my blood pressure became stable enough to send me home. The depression never left and I developed a severe anxiety. I'm constantly aware of my breathing, heart beat etc. It's exhausting. The weight kept coming. This past Christmas, a close relative of mine came down to visit me and, as an avid photo taker, captured a few of my not so flattering angles. I was devastated. I couldn't believe how badly I've let something that happened at 16 control my life. I wasn't active for my children. I was not the mother, or person for that matter, that I'd envisioned as a child. I'm head strong and determined to change not only physically, but mentally. I believe they fall hand in hand. I'm currently trying to take control of myself and my weight, and in the process, teach my children better habits and a new life style for them as well.
I'm a very friendly person and am open to making some friends and learning a bit of new things!

My interests include, but are not limited to:
cooking
photography
gardening
painting
video games
music
arts and crafts
investigation discovery
anime
piercings
tattoos
laughing
animals
helping everyone I possibly can