[SOLVED] Ajax form not posting content to processing script

[SOLVED] Ajax form not posting content to processing script

I'm totally green with Jquery (...and this forum) so go easy on me!

I have this Jquery code, below, which I was hpoing would pass the data from the form over to form processing script but the problem I have is that the success is returned but the processing script does not seem to get the form data passed to it.

Advice from eslewhere suggested I use ajaxSubmit but I have no idea where or how I use this method...enlightenment is most certainly required.

I am including jquery, jquery.validate and jquery.form

$(document).ready(function()
{
        $("#myform").validate({
                submitHandler: function() {
                        $.ajax({
                                type: "POST",
                                url: "thanks.php",
                                success: function() {
                                        $('#contact_form').html("<div id='message'></div>");
                                        $('#message').html("<h2>Contact Form Submitted!</h2>")
                                  .append("<p>We will be in touch soon.</p>")
                                  .hide()
                                  .fadeIn(1500, function() {
                                          $('#message').append("<img id='checkmark' src='/images/
check.png' />");
                                  });
                                }
                        });
                }
        });


Cheers
Jim