couple friends are hard to find.

I know this is random, but I read another post today about couple friends. You know what I mean, when you and your significant other find another couple to hang out with. This is hard. So hard. And maybe my husband and I are just weird, but here's what happens:

• I like the girl but my husband doesn't like the guy. Or maybe just doesn't have much in common with the guy. Like, my husband likes football, and can talk for hours about it, and that is his conversation starter most times. If the answer is "well, I like auto racing," there probably isn't going to be much conversation.
• He likes the guy, but I don't like the girl. The same situation, but in reverse. My husband and the guy may have sooo many things to talk about, but me and the wife? Zippo.
• Neither of us like the guy, but we both like the girl. This has happened more than once, and is very awkward. Guys in their twenties tend to be immature, right? And while I might can deal with my husband's particular brand of immature, I may not be wired for the other guy's kind.
• The girl is totally annoying. We wish he didn't have to bring her. Laugh. This only happened once. Cause we only went out the one time. True story.
• We're the wrong age or the wrong stage in life. You know. You don't have kids and they have kids. And it's easier for kids to be at their own house, so you'd rather go there, but you can't really invite yourself over. Although, I have done it once and said, "I'll bring dinner if you host it." Kids just have a better time in their own habitat with their own toys. The other problem is ages. Charlie and I tend to click with older couples, and one of our closest friends has grown kids. We have a good time most of the time, but we can't relate to all of their issues. I haven't had to pay for a kid to go to college... I don't have kids.
• Proximity. You know, you used to be close because you worked with her, but now you've switched jobs and don't call as much. It was so easy when you could talk at lunch about the weekend, or plan things over email, but now you actually have to call her and set it up.
• They've switched churches. This is a big one, cause is creates an elephant in the room. I hate this one.

Are these enough reasons to make it difficult? Has this ever happened to you? Got any suggestions about how to smooth out this process and gather up more friends? I would love for Charlie and I have to have couples over more often, and we do have friends we can call, but most of the time it's a "me out with someone" or a "him out with someone" scenario. And that's just fine, but I'd like to expand our horizons. Think about it.