Our names can set us apart, even only being one part of what makes us different. But in a world of mass-produced names, being one of the few people with a certain name can be a relief.

Mine just so happens to fall in this category. A little background: it comes from a television show called "The Big Valley," which my mother must have loved, so much that she named me after one of the characters. And, honestly, I used to not love my first name.

That may have come from being the only "Audra" in a school full of Audrey's. Or, possibly, from being in such a small school from middle school through high-school. There was no question of which student needed to come to the front, a blessing and curse in hindsight.

But now I kind of love my name. Why? Well, it's because it is different. No offense to anyone who had to be identified by their last name, but even with the occasional mispronunciation, it's nice to get comments such as "That's pretty cool," or, "I've never heard that before."

Having a unique name can make life so much more interesting, even if people have trouble with your name at first. It only makes you more memorable.

Yes, spelling your name can be a hassle, and I definitely struggled with that, though most of the trouble came with my middle name. And I understand the frustration of going out and having your name misspelled. It happens to me a lot, believe me. I have been called "Audrey" at Chick-fil-a before. That's not really a downside when I look at it, just a communication error.

You get used to this stuff, and it just becomes normal to spell your name, mainly because some people take a while to learn it. But others will pick it up right away, and that is one of the greatest feelings in the world.

Being a rarity is pretty great as you get older.