Will not have my iPad for another few days but I have installed iTunes on my desktop and have already downloaded a half dozen apps that I know I want.
I just wanted to make sure I will be able to transfer them to the iPad after I get it setup?

Yes, you can sync them to your ipad.. same with music, videos etc

Welcome to the forum!

That's excellent planning on your part! If you have never had an "iDevice" (iPhone, iPod Touch or even a "classic" iPod), you will definitely want to download the User Guide from the Apple website and spend some quality time thumbing through the pages.

Apple - Support - Manuals

The Getting Started section will guide you through the process of setting it up for the first time and how to sync all your "stuff" to your new iPad.

Getting your iTunes working good is a big head start with using the iPad. You can go ahead and get your pictures / folders setup on iTunes and they will also transfer to the iPad.