lah-ruh vs. loh-ruh

So, my name is Laura. Sounds simple, right? I mean, there are only two syllables and it's not too hard to spell. But people mispronounce my name ALL THE TIME. I prefer "lah-ruh" personally. However, people keep telling me that the particular spelling of my name dictates that my name should be "loh-ruh", because of the "au" in the name.

Allow me to give you a few "au" words that have an "ah" sound in them:

August
augment
autistic
audio
audit
audition
bauble
baulk
caucasian
caucus
caught
cauldron
cause
flaunt
haul
jaundice
laud
laundry
launch


The list goes on. So, there is no reason that I cannot be "lah-ruh" because there are many words in the English language that defy this supposed rule that I should be "loh-ruh"; just people's opinions, which is what the rules of the English language were originally based on anyway.

My mom's family has always called me "lah-ruh". My dad's...well, it's kind of half-in-half. It's ironic because my dad and his siblings have the unique names that people have a hard time pronouncing. That, and my dad was the one who chose my full name, long before he was married. To him, it was "lah-ruh". It's kind of funny how at Slack family reunions, I have two different identities. Now, I do answer to "loh-ruh". I kind of have to because of my Texas upbringing. I mostly don't correct people, but I do correct my friends. I probably should start correcting relatives, but a lot of them don't see me very often so I guess I shouldn't make a big deal out of it. And some of them I have corrected, but they forget.

So, for those who read this, it is "lah-ruh". I think I said it in my About Me, but now I have proof that it can be "lah-ruh" as well as "loh-ruh", but I prefer the former.

That is all.