Persisting Positions

Persisting Positions

Hi , i have implemented a Draggable interface similar to igoogle. Now the structure of each draggable is linked via the sortable and connectwith options if JQueryUI. Now don't direct me to JQueryUI forums because i have used JQueryUI. The question is pertaining to JQuery  :D
Structure:
<div class="column">
<div class="ui-widget">
</div>
</div>

there are six  of such divs, Now i know how to get the children of a column like below
  1. $.each($('.column'),
    function(i,val){
    alert($(this).children().length)
    })


just loop through to get the child's Header and then save the position. But how do i find Which div column the child div widget lies in.
Also do you have any ideas how i can persist the position of the widgets after they are dragged. Don't give any links. Please explain how it could be done